Sri Lanka Approves Free Tourist Visas for Visitors from India and 6 Other Nations
GG News Bureau
Colombo, 24th Oct. The Sri Lankan Cabinet has approved a policy to issue free tourist visas to travelers from India and six other countries, said Foreign Minister Ali Sabry.
This decision comes as the country aims to revive its struggling tourism sector, which has been heavily impacted by debt. The policy will be implemented as a pilot project until March 31, 2024.
Effective immediately, tourists from India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand will be able to obtain visas to visit Sri Lanka without any fees.
India has traditionally been Sri Lanka’s top source of inbound tourism, with over 30,000 arrivals in September alone, accounting for 26% of total arrivals.
Chinese tourists were the second largest group, with over 8,000 arrivals.
Tourist arrivals to the island have declined since the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which resulted in the deaths of 270 people, including 11 Indians, and left over 500 injured.
In addition to the economic challenges, Sri Lanka is also facing political unrest, with protesters demanding the resignation of President Rajapaksa.
The economic crisis has led to severe shortages of essential items such as food, medicine, cooking gas, fuel, toilet paper, and even matches.
Sri Lankans have been forced to wait in long lines outside stores for hours to purchase these basic necessities.
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