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Sri Lanka to start issuing no-fee visas to Russian applicants on November 7

The free visa program will include seven countries

NEW DELHI, November 1. /TASS/. Sri Lankan authorities will likely begin issuing visas without charging a processing fee to nationals of Russia, India, China, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand on November 7, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Priantha Fernando told reporters.

"The free visa program for seven countries that received the Cabinet nod recently will only come into effect after the Department of Immigration and Emigration publishes [an official] gazette [notification] on the same," Fernando said, as quoted by The Daily Mirror. "Actual implementation is expected to take place in the coming week, likely on November 7," the official added.

The initial proposal was to include only China, India, and Russia in the list of eligible countries, Fernando clarified. "The proposal from the SLTDA and the Tourism Ministry was to offer free visas for India, China, and Russia. The decision was made after having analyzed what appeals to those markets, and this is where [the] majority of arrivals are from. We are unsure how others were added to the list," he said.

According to SLTDA, India’s share of total tourist traffic to Sri Lanka stood at 19.7% over the first ten months of this year, while Russia had a 13% share and China came in with a 4.6% share.

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