(MENAFN-IANS) Colombo, May 7 (IANS) To announce tourist arrivals to the island nation, Sri Lanka has renewed visa-free access for visitors from India and several other chosen countries.
The Sri Lankan government’s resolution will open up interesting possibilities for seamless integration between the two countries.
The country’s government will grant a flexible access visa on Monday to citizens of India, China, Russia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia who are on a 30-day layover in the island nation.
The program was launched in October as a pilot task to rebuild the country’s tourism industry.
According to the Department of Immigration and Emigration which deals with visa-free entry, foreigners from the above-mentioned countries will need to apply for a visa through the online page before arriving in Sri Lanka and the validity of this flexible visa is 30 days.
Meanwhile, amid a recent controversy over maximum payments imposed through a private company, the company will withhold a $50 payment for visitors entering the country on a 30-day arrival visa.
“Amid the remarkable progress made in the country’s tourism sector, many in the sector have recently suggested to President Ranil Wickremesinghe to keep the maximum visa payment for foreigners at $50,” said the president of the Media Division (PMD).
The transfer of the visa issuance procedure from the government to a company, with higher fees of up to $100, has been criticized by many parties, including tourism-related industries. They complained that the actor’s fees and complex procedure were deterring tourists from coming to the country. as it recovers from the worst currency crisis in its history.
Tourism, one of the country’s sources of foreign exchange, has suffered a setback due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic and political crisis that the South Asian country is experiencing.
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