Visa woes

Thursday, 6 January 2011 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

THE possibility that visa on arrival will be suspended for 78 countries has become a potential tourism damper, especially as the industry is gearing up to make history in the newly begun “Visit Sri Lanka” year. Travellers can indeed visit, but the new requirement of a visa will affect the boom of the Tourist industry significantly.

Understandably the leisure industry has been urging the Government to defer the visa rule until 2012 after due notice and the conclusion of the Visit Sri Lanka year in 2011. The Government has decided to impose the requirement of a visa along with a fee on visitors from around 78 countries including traditionally strong tourist markets in Western Europe and South Asia which is our second largest tourist market. Only visitors from Singapore and the Maldives which offer visa free travel to Lankans will be excluded from the new rule.

Hotel association leaders point out that tour operators are unlikely to hire staff to obtain or coordinate visas from Sri Lanka missions abroad on behalf of their customers. Apart from the hassle it was also pointed out that Sri Lankan missions abroad aren’t capable of handling this new requirement.

With regard to the Government’s move of providing online visas for tourists, industry leaders insist that a majority of visitors to Sri Lanka aren’t internet savvy; hence the new rule will certainly put off their holiday plans.

Another concern is that most of the scheduled arrivals until end April winter season had been previously confirmed, and requiring them now to obtain a visa has been roundly condemned by the industry. They fear that Sri Lanka’s competitor destinations such as Thailand, Maldives, Malaysia and Indonesia will pip Sri Lanka at the post of convenience.

The tourism industry also believes that if the Government’s intention for the imposition of the visa rule is revenue centric then a tax on arrival can be considered as a last option instead of requiring tourists to queue for visas at Lankan missions in their home countries.

The contention that visa approval is important for security reasons and to prevent people working in Sri Lanka is not valid and can easily be handled through other means. For example, visa on arrival can be easily streamlined by officials checking to see if the applicant has a return ticket or a confirmed booking at a hotel for a limited period of time. Countries such as Singapore have successfully managed to maintain their tourism industry by checking if applicants have a return ticket.

Local authorities also need to become more internet savvy to evaluate applicants. There have been many instances when unsavoury people have found their way into Sri Lanka using pre-approved visas, indicating that vigilance is needed at every point.

Sri Lanka with its bountiful attractions can certainly have their pick of tourists but one must also remain practical at the inception. As a country that is emerging in the tourism industry Sri Lanka needs to establish itself and divorcing policy from practicality will make this harder. As a product Sri Lanka has to present itself as an attractive destination and more importantly attainable. Considerations of security and diplomacy can be ironed out by other means so as not to undermine an industry that is finally earning its time in the spotlight after decades of deprivation.