Sri Lanka Offers Free Visa to 35 Countries Including India Starting October 1
Colombo [Sri Lanka], August 23: Sri Lanka has announced that it will provide free visa access to 35 countries, including India, starting from October 1. This was reported by Harin Fernando, the advisor to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Tourism.
The list of countries includes major nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Israel, New Zealand, Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, and Australia.
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry praised this development, calling it the first step towards a visa-free regime. He shared data from the Sri Lankan Tourism Authority showing a rise in tourism. Pre-Covid tourism numbers were 2,333,796 in 2018 and 1,913,702 in 2019, which dropped during the pandemic. Recent data shows tourism has resurged to 1,487,303 in 2023 and 1,315,884 in 2024 so far.
Sabry expressed hope that Sri Lanka will achieve pre-Covid levels in tourism, stating, “We are well on course to achieve the pre-Covid level. @Sri Lanka can – Sri Lanka will!”
Additionally, Sri Lanka will hold presidential elections on September 21. President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who became the eighth President of Sri Lanka in July 2022 after Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned, has announced his candidacy. However, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the largest party in parliament, will not support Wickremesinghe and will field its own candidate. The SLPP is associated with the Rajapaksa brothers, who previously held significant power in the government.
Doubts Revealed
Sri Lanka -: Sri Lanka is a small island country located to the south of India in the Indian Ocean.
Visa -: A visa is a special permission that allows you to enter and stay in another country for a certain period.
Harin Fernando -: Harin Fernando is an advisor to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Tourism, which means he helps make decisions about tourism in Sri Lanka.
Ministry of Tourism -: The Ministry of Tourism is a part of the government that focuses on making a country a good place for tourists to visit.
Foreign Minister Ali Sabry -: Ali Sabry is the person in charge of Sri Lanka’s relationships with other countries.
Visa-free regime -: A visa-free regime means people can travel to a country without needing a visa.
Pre-Covid levels -: Pre-Covid levels refer to the number of tourists visiting before the Covid-19 pandemic started.
Presidential elections -: Presidential elections are when people in a country vote to choose their president.
Ranil Wickremesinghe -: Ranil Wickremesinghe is the current President of Sri Lanka who is running for re-election.