Colombo: Sri Lanka has decided to issue free visas to the nationals of seven countries as part of a pilot project. India is one of the countries included in this initiative. Sri Lanka’s Cabinet has given approval for the waiver of visa fees for tourists from India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand. Sri Lanka’s Minister of Tourism Harin Fernando said that the pilot project is slated to run until March 31, 2024, and aims to amplify Sri Lanka’s tourism appeal.
In the current year, Sri Lanka has welcomed over one million tourists by September after the economic crisis had dented the industry. India leads the pack with over 2 lakh arrivals, closely trailed by Russia with 1.32 lakh as per data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority
