Tourism Minister mulls extending free visa scheme for Indian travellers

•  Suggests waiving off $ 20 visa fee from Indian tourists till October
•  Asserts extending free visa scheme will benefit tourism industry, overall economy

Tourism Minister Harin Fernando

Tourism Minister Harin Fernando is mooting a free visa scheme till October, in an effort to attract large numbers of Indian tourists during the shoulder season.

“We are exploring possibilities of waiving off the $ 20 visa fee for Indian travellers till October to attract more visitors from the neighbouring giant,” he said, adding that many countries practice such initiatives to woo visitors during the low arrivals period. 

Noting that a meeting with President’s Senior Advisor Sagala Ratnayake is scheduled yesterday, he intends to hand over the proposal for a free visa scheme. 

The Minister was of the view that Indian travellers coming to Sri Lanka do spend more than $ 20 on visa fees and the income generated through them has a larger impact on the tourism industry as well as the overall economy.

“The impact of their spending within the country compared to the $ 20 visa fee is huge. Extending a free visa scheme will only benefit the tourism industry and the economy,” he asserted. 

He said May to July is generally low arrivals period and if the sector could attract travellers from short-haul markets such as India, will be a great opportunity to keep the industry busy. 

India emerged strong as the top tourist source market for Sri Lanka in April pushing Russia to second position, while it remains the top market in May too. From January to 14 May, 75,670 Indian travellers visited Sri Lanka.

Tourism earnings in the first four months of 2023 were at $ 696.3 million, reflecting a 17.8% increase from the corresponding period of last year, whilst April earnings stood at $ 166.5 million.