COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s cabinet approved issuing free tourist visas to visitors from 35 countries including China, India and Russia, a top official said on Thursday ( Aug 22 ), in an effort to boost tourism and help revive its crisis-hit economy.
According to Cabinet official and Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardana, visitors will be given 30-day permits as part of a six-month pilot program that will begin in October.
” The aim of the state is to change Sri Lanka into a completely card state, much like Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, to plug into the benefits of a rapidly growing tourism industry”, Gunawardana told reporters at a regular government presentation.
The substantial roster includes India, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Australia, Denmark, Poland, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Nepal, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, and France.
The 22-million-strong nation’s tourism sector was first impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and then by a severe financial crisis in 2022, which saw widespread protests and energy shortages.
However, the commerce sector is benefiting from a return that started last month, with Sri Lanka recording roughly 2 million visitors by mid-August, for the first time since 2019.
The area is expecting to near the time at 2.3 million visitors.
India is the largest cause of visitors with 246, 922 visitors, followed by the UK with 123, 992, latest info from the Sri Lanka Development Authority showed.
According to the northern bank, Sri Lanka generated US$ 1.5 billion in tourism in the first six weeks of 2023, an increase from US$ 875 million during the same time last year.