Sri Lanka has announced visa-free entry for Indian tourists under a pilot project that has begun with immediate effect until March 21, 2024.
Apart from India, six other countries have been added in the list. They are: China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand.
The country’s foreign affairs minister Ali Sabry made the announcement on Tuesday (Oct 24) on social media platform X.
“Cabinet approves issuing of free visas to India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia & Thailand with immediate effect as a pilot project till 31 March,” he said.
The move comes five days after a proposal was made in this regard during a Cabinet meeting last week to give free tourist visas to foreigners from five countries who intend to visit Sri Lanka as tourists.
Lanka’s economy heavily relies on tourism
Sri Lanka’s economy heavily relies on inbound tourism, with India accounting for the majority of tourist arrivals.
The move is expected to give a major boost for the crisis-hit island which has been battling persisting high inflation, unemployment and deteriorating economy post the Covid pandemic.
The move is aimed at attracting more tourists to the island nation. “We are expecting to increase tourist arrivals to five million over the coming years,” the ministry was quoted as saying in Sri Lankan media outlets.
Country seeks a turnaround
In September, India led with more than 30,000 arrivals, comprising 26 per cent of the total, while Chinese tourists followed as the second-largest group with over 8,000 arrivals, reports PTI news agency citing official figures.
Apart from that, the Cabinet also proposed an e-ticketing system for most of the tourist sites in Sri Lanka in the near future.
The proposed free visas and e-ticketing system will save money and time spent on obtaining visas, the statement read.
The development also comes a month after Ali Sabry in an exclusive interview with ANI news agency said that Sri Lanka is looking at forging a closer relationship with India while adding they are trying for electricity, renewable energy, tourism and port shipping connectivity.
(With inputs from agencies)
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