Tourism in Sri Lanka has been way down because of a terrorist attack earlier this year. In an effort to bring tourism back they’ve decided to offer visa free travel to more than 50 countries including: US, the UK, the EU, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, China.
The visa which would have cost between $20 and $40 will be waved starting August 1st and they plan to keep this offer through at least the end of 2019. Many hotels have slashed prices by 30% and the government has worked hard to cut airfares to the country as well.
The end of summer 2019 is probably the best time to visit this country.
In an effort to boost tourism, the island nation of Sri Lanka will allow travelers from nearly 50 nations to get a free visa on arrival starting Aug. 1. The visa, which originally cost between $20 and $40, will be valid for one month and available to travelers holding passports from countries including the US, the UK, the EU, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, China and more, according to Reuters.
Tourism in Sri Lanka has been really struggling since the devastating terrorist bombings that occurred in April, and making it easier for travelers to visit is just one way the country is hoping to revitalize the tourism sector. Government data shows that tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka declined about 45% in July year-over-year, USA Today reported, though there was a slight uptick from June.
The government had originally planned to offer free visas upon arrival from May to October of this year, but suspended the plan after the attacks. Until now, they had been waiting for cabinet approval to reinstate the program. At this time, the free visa-on-arrival program appears to be temporary. An official from the tourism development ministry told Reuters, “The offer will remain for six months, and the government will assess the loss of revenue from visas after six months.”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.