Sri Lanka extends visa free push for tourism for seven countries till end April
Daily FT: Tourism Minister Harin Fernando has announced that the pilot project of visa-free arrivals push for seven countries has been extended till 30 April. “A final decision on the pilot project will be taken during the next few weeks,” he had noted via ‘X’.
On 23 October last year, the Cabinet of Ministers approved visa-free entry to travellers from seven key tourist-generating markets; India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand with immediate effect.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is on a steady growth path and the local authorities are also looking at new innovative ways to further promote tourism in the country. The increasing number of tourist arrivals to the country have seen a further increase due to the visa free arrival scheme. Local tourism authorities are also carrying out many promotional programmes including roadshows in foreign markets to attract tourists to the country while also exploring new tourism concepts. However, the increase in the number of tourists in the country has resilience in the expansion of business/investment opportunities in the tourism industry, especially in the leisure and hospitality sectors, due to the need to meet the growing demand. There is also a growth in opportunities in the development of infrastructure and supplementary infrastructure facilities required by the tourism industry in line with the growing demand. With Sri Lanka fast becoming a hub in the region, there would be a further growth in the country’s tourism industry. Given the growing business potential, foreign businesses/investors could confidently explore the expanding opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20240416/Z_2 |