President Ranil Wickremesinghe announced a major boost for Sri Lankan tourism yesterday, introducing a 30-day free visa for nationals from 35 countries, effective from 1 October. This initiative, which will be in place for six months, was approved during the Cabinet of Ministers meeting based on a proposal from the President, who also oversees the tourism portfolio. The decision follows recommendations from an Expert Committee tasked with assessing the impact of free tourist visas.
The 35 countries benefiting from the free visa policy include India, China, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Australia, Denmark, Poland, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Nepal, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, France, the US, Canada, the Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Israel, Belarus, Iran, Sweden, South Korea, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and New Zealand.
This move builds on an earlier joint Cabinet paper submitted by Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry PC and former Tourism Minister Harin Fernando, which initially proposed free visa entry for citizens of 67 countries.
The Expert Committee, comprising representatives from government institutions, private sector tourism leaders, and independent analysts, emphasized that offering free visas could significantly boost tourist arrivals. According to their analysis, Sri Lanka would financially break even with a 3.74% increase in tourist arrivals in 2024 due to the visa waiver. A larger 10% increase could result in a financial surplus of $94.27 million for the country.
Sri Lanka has already seen strong growth in tourism this year, earning over $1.88 billion in the first seven months of 2024—a 72% increase from the same period last year. The new visa initiative is part of a broader strategy to attract more visitors, strengthen the economy, and position Sri Lanka as a leading global travel destination. The country aims to reach 5 million tourist arrivals by 2030.
As of this week, Sri Lanka has welcomed over 1.3 million tourists in 2024, with 117,825 visitors arriving in just the first 19 days of August. Tourism officials are confident that the year-end target of 2.3 million arrivals will be achieved starting in September.
The Expert Committee also recommended enhancing security screening and improving information access for tourists to ensure that the free visa initiative is implemented efficiently and securely.
The tourism industry has welcomed the government’s decision, especially with the critical winter booking season approaching. “This is a lifeline for the industry,” industry leaders stated, expressing optimism that the free visa policy would make Sri Lanka a more attractive holiday destination.
They also noted that with an average lead time of three months for trips to Sri Lanka, the removal of visa fees could encourage more tourists to visit. Prior to the COVID pandemic, Sri Lanka had allowed free-visa entry for citizens of 48 countries.