Colombo: Sri Lanka will start giving free visa access to travellers from 35 countries, including India, beginning October 1. This information was shared by Harin Fernando, advisor to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Tourism, as reported by the Daily Mirror.
The list of countries includes major names like the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Israel, New Zealand, Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, and Australia.
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Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry welcomed the move, calling it an initial step toward a visa-free system. "First steps towards a visa-free regime!" Sri Lankan FM stated in a post on X.
He also highlighted recent tourism figures from the Sri Lankan Tourism Authority, showing a rebound in visitors. Before the pandemic, tourism numbers were 2,333,796 in 2018 and 1,913,702 in 2019. The numbers dropped during the pandemic but have been rising again, with 1,487,303 visitors in 2023 and 1,315,884 so far in 2024.
Sabry expressed hope that Sri Lanka will soon return to its pre-Covid tourism levels. "We are well on course to achieve the pre covid level. @Sri Lanka can - Sri Lanka will!" he stated.
In other news, Sri Lanka will hold a presidential election on September 21. Current President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took office in July 2022 after Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned, has announced his candidacy for re-election. However, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the largest party in parliament and linked to the Rajapaksa family, will not support Wickremesinghe. Instead, the SLPP has nominated its own candidate for the presidency.
Agencies
Published: 23 Aug 2024, 07:31 am IST
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