MOSCOW, October 24. /TASS/. Russian tourists are taking higher interest in visiting Sri Lanka after authorities of the country announced the start of issuing free visas to Russian nationals, the Russian Union of Tour Industry’s press service said.

"Tour operators note that the report on the cancellation of the fee for the visa to Sri Lanka immediately entailed growth of tourists’ activity," the press service said.

The problem of paying the electronic visas existed earlier if tourists did not have cards of foreign banks, Darya Domostroeva from Intourist company said. Sri Lanka is among the top five popular destinations for Russians in respect of winter vacations and is successfully competing with Thailand, she noted.

On October 24, the Sri Lankan Cabinet announced the start of free visas issuance to citizens of Russia, India, China, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand with the immediate entry into force as a pilot project until March 31 of the next year.