Sri Lanka giving free tourist visas for 35 countries

Wednesday, 27 Aug, 2024 0

Starting in October, Sri Lanka will provide 30-day tourist visas to citizens of 35 countries free of charge.

It includes major source markets like the US, UK and France.

It is a six-month trial program with an aim of boosting visitor numbers.

Visas currently cost $50.

The free visa policy is expected to stimulate tourism numbers as it includes the busy season from December to mid-April.

So far this year, Sri Lanka has welcomed about 1.3 million tourists and tourism spending surpassed $1.5 billion for the first six months of 2024.

This represents a 78% year-on-year increase.

The country hopes the new free visa policy will attract around 2.5 million tourist visits by the year-end.

According to data from the Sri Lanka Development Authority, India and the UK are the top two source markets for tourism.

Cabinet spokesman Bandula Gunawardana said: “The aim of the government is to transform Sri Lanka into a free visa country, much like Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam to tap into the benefits of a rapidly growing tourism industry.”

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