Sri Lanka to extend its visa-free travel policy for 40 countries; India also on the list

In a bid to boost tourism and recover from an economic crisis, Sri Lanka has announced plans to extend its free tourist visa policy to 40 additional countries, according to a news shared by PTI. The news was confirmed by Sri Lanka’s Foreign Affairs and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath during the inauguration of the “Hotel Show Colombo 2025”. As of now, there were only seven countries, including India which were allowed visa-free entry in Sri Lanka. The decision comes after the cabinet approved to expand the list to 40 countries. However, the Government of Sri Lanka will have to suffer an annual revenue loss of USD 66 million because of visa fee waiver, mentioned the minister. But he also said that indirect economic benefits from increased tourist footfall would be more than the loss. The initiative aims to boost tourism as part of Sri Lanka’s economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 financial crisis. “We have stabilised the economy, and through policy changes in tourism, we aim to ensure steady growth in arrivals,” the minister said.The visa waiver is one of the well-planned strategic moves to boost the economy of the country. Earlier, visa fee waivers were limited to seven countries, including China, India, and Japan. The trial phase began in March 2023 and it was deemed successful.Following the success, the Cabinet has decided to extend the policy to 40 more countries, to attract worldwide travellers. New List of countries: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandFederal Republic of GermanyKingdom of the NetherlandsKingdom of BelgiumKingdom of SpainCommonwealth of AustraliaRepublic of PolandRepublic of KazakhstanKingdom of Saudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesFederal Democratic Republic of NepalPeople’s Republic of ChinaRepublic of IndiaRepublic of IndonesiaRussian FederationKingdom of ThailandFederation of MalayaJapanRepublic of FranceUnited States of AmericaCanadaCzech Republic (Czechia)Republic of ItalySwiss Confederation (Switzerland)Republic of AustriaState of IsraelRepublic of BelarusIslamic Republic of IranKingdom of SwedenRepublic of FinlandKingdom of DenmarkRepublic of KoreaState of QatarSultanate of OmanKingdom of BahrainNew ZealandState of KuwaitKingdom of NorwayRepublic of TürkiyeThe Free Visa policy is already for 7 nations, including India, China, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan. Now, these countries are also now part of the list.



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