Sri Lanka offers visa waivers for five countries to boost tourism
Daily FT: In a joint effort to reinvigorate its tourism industry, the Government has tabled a ground-breaking proposal for free tourist visas targeting visitors from five countries.
The countries set to benefit from this potential visa waiver program are China, Russia, India, Thailand, and Indonesia.
The initiative, as outlined in a statement from the Tourism Ministry, seeks to draw a significant influx of tourists, positioning Sri Lanka as a leading global travel destination. The proposal, jointly presented at the most recent Cabinet meeting, reflects the collaborative endeavor of Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Tourism Minister Harin Fernando, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles and Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry.
This forward-thinking measure aligns seamlessly with Sri Lanka’s overarching strategy to revive the tourism sector, which has grappled with multiple challenges in recent times, since 2019. By waiving tourist visa fees, the Government anticipates a surge in visitor numbers, projecting positive impacts on economic growth and employment opportunities within the tourism industry. The authorities have set their sights on increasing arrivals to 5 million by 2029 and earning an impressive $ 21.6 billion within seven years. As part of its long-term strategy to welcome 5 million visitors, it hopes to lift the average spending per visitor to $ 4,000, with 2.5 million of them spending over $ 500 per day, indicating a concentration on luring high-end tourists.
OSL take:
Sri Lankan authorities have adopted many programmers through the years to promote the country’s tourism industry among foreign travelers. Apart from promotional campaigns in key tourist source markets and exploring new tourism concepts, the authorities have also introduced several new programmers that include visa waivers to attract tourists to the country. The steady growth in tourist arrivals to the country is indicative of the overall growth in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry. This in turn has expanded the business/investment opportunities in the tourism industry, especially in the leisure and hospitality sectors. The expanding business/investment opportunities in the industry have attracted the attention of many international leisure and hospitality brands. The already operating local businesses in the leisure and hospitality sectors are engaged in refurbishment or expansion programmers to gear for the increasing demand in line with the increasing tourist arrivals to the country. The tourism industry is currently a key revenue generator of the country. Given the growing business potential in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry, foreign businesses/investors could explore the expanding opportunities in the industry while also looking at the development programmers that are being looked at to develop infrastructure and supplementary infrastructure facilities required by the tourism industry.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20231024/Z_1 |