Sri Lanka extends free visa-on-arrival scheme till 30 April

With effect from 2^nd January 2020, Sri Lanka has extended the free visa-on-arrival facility till 30^th April. The scheme will be available for citizens of 48 countries across the world, including India.

Prasanna Ranatunga, Tourism Minister, said that Sri Lanka had extended the free visa-on-arrival scheme to revive the tourism industry. The tourism sector in Sri Lanka was devastated by the Easter Sunday bombings, and this scheme hopes to put it back on track.

Sri Lanka had suspended the visa-on-arrival scheme in April last year after the disastrous bombings that killed 258 people. The bombings dealt a severe blow to the Tourism industry of Sri Lanka which contributed almost 5% to the national GDP.

The bombings led to a large scale cancellation of prior bookings. Arrivals in Sri Lanka dropped by a massive 70% in May last year.

On 1^st August 2019, Sri Lanka revived the visa-on-arrival scheme adding more countries including India and China.

Earlier the visa fee for South Asian travellers was $20 while for the rest of the world it was $35. However, in the aftermath of the disastrous bombings, this visa fee was waived off.

In the first eleven months of 2019, tourism in Sri Lanka dropped by 20%. India, China, the US, the UK and Australia were among the few countries that issued travel warnings on Sri Lanka following the bombings.

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