Sri Lanka announces visa-free entry for Indian tourists. Read For More Details. 

PUNE: Sri Lanka has recently implemented a pilot project that allows visa-free entry for tourists from India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand until March 21, 2024.

The announcement was made by the country’s foreign affairs minister, Ali Sabry, on social media platform X. This move comes after a proposal was made during a Cabinet meeting last week to provide free tourist visas to foreigners from five countries.

Sri Lanka’s economy heavily relies on tourism, with India being the largest contributor to tourist arrivals. This initiative is expected to provide a significant boost to the island’s economy, which has been struggling with high inflation, unemployment, and a deteriorating economy due to the Covid pandemic.

The objective of this action is to attract a larger number of tourists to the island nation. According to Sri Lankan media outlets, the ministry informed growth in tourist arrivals to five million in the upcoming years. 

In September, India led with over 30,000 arrivals, accounting for 26 percent of the total, while Chinese tourists followed as the second-largest group with more than 8,000 arrivals, as reported by the news agency, citing official figures.

Additionally, the Cabinet has proposed implementing an e-ticketing system for most tourist sites in Sri Lanka in the near future. The suggested free visas and e-ticketing system will result in savings in terms of both money and time spent on obtaining visas, as stated in the announcement.

Madhupriya Dhanwate