INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Sri Lanka&s cabinet approved issuing free tourist visas to visitors from seven countries including China, India and Russia, a statement
issued by the media ministry said on Tuesday, to boost tourism and help revive its crisis-hit economy.Tourists from China, India, Russia,
Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia will be issued free visas till March 31, 2024 under a pilot programme, the statement detailing
cabinet decisions said, Reuters reported.The scheme is part of attempts by Sri Lanka to boost tourism recovery and hit a target of five
million arrivals by 2026, the statement added.The country of 22 million people, famed for its beaches, ancient temples and aromatic tea, saw
its tourism industry pummelled first by the Covid-19 pandemic and then by a severe financial crisis last year that saw mass scale protests
and shortages of essentials such as fuel.But the tourism industry is seeing a turnaround in 2023 with Sri Lanka clocking a million arrivals
by September, for the first time since 2019
The island is expecting to close the year at 1.5 million arrivals.India is the largest source of tourists with 200,310 arrivals, followed by
Russia with 132,300, latest data from the Sri Lanka Development Authority showed.Sri Lanka earned $1.3 billion from tourism in the first
eight months of 2023, up from $833 million dollars during the same period last year, according to the central bank.The post Sri Lanka
approves free tourist visa for seven countries first appeared on Ariana News.
