The Cabinet of Ministers yesterday approved visa-free entry to travellers from seven key tourist-generating markets; India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand with immediate effect.
Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said the visa-free policy is set to be in effect till 31 March 2024.
He expressed confidence that the visa-free policy will not only attract an influx of visitors but also create a positive ripple effect across various sectors of the economy.
“This will mark a significant milestone in Sri Lanka’s efforts to re-establish itself as a premier tourist destination globally,” he told the Daily FT.
The selected countries, including regional powerhouses like India and China, as well as major tourism contributors like Russia and Japan, are expected to be instrumental in driving the recovery of the tourism industry.
From 1 January to 19 October, a total of 216,172 Indian tourists visited Sri Lanka accounting for 20% of arrivals, whilst 137,966 Russian tourists or 13% visited the country. In addition, 51,686 or 5% of Chinese tourists arrived in the country and 13,733 Japanese tourists so far this year, as per Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority data.
The initial Cabinet paper proposal submitted on 13 October included only five countries — China, India, Russia, Thailand and Indonesia.
