Sri Lanka’s government has decided to give free visas to people from India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand. This is a trial project, and it starts right away, lasting until March 31. The Foreign Affairs Minister of Sri Lanka, Ali Sabry, announced this on Twitter.
The Minister mentioned that the trial project, which began right away, will continue until March 31, 2024.
“Cabinet approves issuing of free visas to India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia & Thailand with immediate effect as a pilot project till 31 March 2024” Sabry announced on X.
Cabinet approves issuing of free visas to India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia & Thailand with immediate effect as a pilot project till 31 March –
— M U M Ali Sabry (@alisabrypc) October 24, 2023
Back in March, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry emphasized the importance of their relationship with India in their foreign policy. Now, visitors from these countries can get free visas for Sri Lanka, a big change. In September, India had the most visitors, making up 26% of the total, followed by Chinese tourists as the second-largest group with over 8,000 arrivals.
Since the tragic 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, Sri Lanka has seen fewer tourists coming in, with these attacks causing the loss of 270 lives, including 11 Indians, and injuring over 500 people.
Sri Lanka, a country facing tough economic challenges since gaining independence from Britain in 1948, is currently going through political problems, marked by protests demanding President Rajapaksa’s resignation.
This economic crisis has led to severe shortages of essential items like food, medicine, cooking gas, fuels, toilet paper, and even matches. Sri Lankans have been waiting in long lines outside stores for months, sometimes for hours, just to get fuel and cooking gas due to these shortages.
According to The Daily Mirror, the Ministry of Tourism shared that in a recent Cabinet meeting, they discussed a proposal. This proposal suggested giving free tourist visas to travelers from five countries who want to visit Sri Lanka for tourism.
