By Uditha Jayasinghe
COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s cupboard permitted issuing free vacationer visas to guests from seven nations together with China, India and Russia, a press release issued by the media ministry stated on Tuesday, to spice up tourism and assist revive its crisis-hit economic system.
Vacationers from China, India, Russia, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia might be issued free visas until March 31, 2024 underneath a pilot programme, the assertion detailing cupboard selections stated.
The scheme is a part of makes an attempt by Sri Lanka to spice up tourism restoration and hit a goal of 5 million arrivals by 2026, the assertion added.
The nation of twenty-two million individuals, famed for its seashores, historical temples and fragrant tea, noticed its tourism trade pummelled first by the COVID-19 pandemic after which by a extreme monetary disaster final 12 months that noticed mass scale protests and shortages of necessities resembling gasoline.
However the tourism trade is seeing a turnaround in 2023 with Sri Lanka clocking one million arrivals by September, for the primary time since 2019. The island is anticipating to shut the 12 months at 1.5 million arrivals.
India is the biggest supply of vacationers with 200,310 arrivals, adopted by Russia with 132,300, newest information from the Sri Lanka Improvement Authority confirmed.
Sri Lanka earned $1.3 billion from tourism within the first eight months of 2023, up from $833 million {dollars} throughout the identical interval final 12 months, in accordance with the central financial institution.
(Reporting by Uditha Jayasinghe; Enhancing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
