Wednesday, July 15, 2026

Sri Lanka waives visa fees for tourists from seven countries

The countries are China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan.

• November 28, 2023
SRI LANKA'S TOURIST ATTRACTION
SRI LANKA’S TOURIST ATTRACTION [Credit: LinkedIn]

On Tuesday, the Sri Lanka Department of Immigration and Emigration said it would waive visa fees for residents of seven countries with immediate effect in a bid to boost the tourism sector.

The countries are China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan.

The department said the scheme was valid until March 31, 2024, and is a pilot programme to rebuild the tourism industry.

Residents of the above countries with diplomatic, official, public affairs, service, and ordinary passports are eligible for this scheme.

The department said visitors from the above countries first need to apply for a free Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) before arriving in Sri Lanka.

Under this scheme, tourists can enjoy a 30-day visa period, and a double entry facility is permitted from the date of first arrival to Sri Lanka within 30 days, according to the statement.

Tourism is an important source of foreign income for Sri Lanka, and the country has been trying to boost tourism revenue following the setbacks between 2020 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis. 

(Xinhua/NAN)

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Adebo Ogundoyin

States

School Abduction: Oyo Assembly backs Gov Makinde’s call for international investigation 

The lawmaker cautioned the public and the Nigerian Senate against misinterpreting the purpose of the state governor’s call for an international investigation.

Minister of Foriegn Affairs Yusuf Tuggar

Politics

Tuggar group rejects Bauchi APC governorship candidate Mohammed Abubakar

He dismissed Mr Abubakar’s declaration as a governorship candidate, alleging that there were no governorship primaries in the state.

The Spanish team after the semi-final match

Hot news Home top

Oyarzabal, Porro score as Spain beat France to reach World Cup final 

Spain will face the winner of the second semi-final match between England and Argentina on Sunday. 

PenCom

Economy

PenCom cuts pension approvals to 48 hours, recovers N36 billion arrears

She said the 48-hour approval timeline had become a mandatory service standard binding on all PFAs.

Released Oyo hostages

Heading 5

Freed Oyo pupils, teachers reunite with families

The pupils and teachers reunited with their families on Tuesday.

Olatubosun Oluyede

NationWide

DHQ engages military veterans on welfare, national service

He said the welfare of retired personnel remained one of the top priorities of the DHQ under the current leadership.