TikaWeeks #35/2024: Sri Lanka update
Posted by John on 28th August 2024
From 01 October 2024, tourists to Sri Lanka from 35 countries will be given free 30-day visas under a six-month pilot programme (ending on 31 March 2025). In an effort to boost tourism, the local government cabinet approved issuing free tourist visas to visitors from countries including the UK, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the USA. However, travellers should still apply for their visa on arrival.
The dramatic fall-off of tourism during the Covid-19 pandemic was followed by political and economic crises in 2022. However, tourism began to pick up again last year and Sri Lanka has recorded nearly 2 million arrivals to mid-August this year – the first time since 2019. The island is expecting to see around 2.3 million arrivals by year end.
India is the largest tourist market with 246,922 arrivals, followed by the UK with 123,992 (data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority). This has earned Sri Lanka US$1.5 billion from tourism in the first six months of 2024, up from US$875 million during the same period last year, according to the central bank.
Cabinet spokesman and Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardana told reporters at a weekly cabinet briefing, "The aim of the government is to transform Sri Lanka into a free visa country, much like Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam to tap into the benefits of a rapidly growing tourism industry."
The full list of eligible countries is:
Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Nepal, New Zealand, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, UAE, UK, and USA.
Nationals of other countries will have to apply for a visa and pay the requisite fees, as follows:
- Tourist Visa – 30 Days: US$ 50
- Tourist Visa – Standard Visitor Visa (60 Days)
- SAARC Countries: US$ 35
- Non-SAARC: US$ 75
We will keep you updated with further developments.
« All articles
