Sri Lanka Offers Free Tourist Visa for Indians, Akasa Air CEO on IPO Plans: India Report
Photo Credit: The famous Kandy to Ella train journey in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Tourism
Skift Take
Sri Lanka is hoping an easier visa process will help it reach its goal of welcoming 1.5 million visitors by the end of this year.
Under a pilot program, Sri Lanka will be issuing free tourist visas through next March to visitors from seven countries: India, China, Russia, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. This initiative is part of Sri Lanka's broader strategy to revitalize its tourism sector and achieve a target of 5 million arrivals by 2026.
Sri Lanka's Tourism Crisis: Sri Lanka’s tourism industry endured a severe blow due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which was followed by an economic crisis last year. However, there's a positive shift in 2023, with the country welcoming 1 million arrivals by September, the first time since 2019. The island nation is expected to conclude the year with 1.5 million arrivals.
Source Markets: India stands as the largest source of tourists, contributing 200,310 arrivals, followed by Russia with 132,300, according to the latest data from the Sri Lanka Development Authority.
Tourism Revenue: Sri Lanka's tourism revenue for the first eight month
