NEW DELHI, April 1. /TASS/. Sri Lanka has decided to extend its pilot initiative to issue free visas to citizens from seven countries, including Russia, until April 30, Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said.

"The Free Visa pilot initiative for seven countries will be extended until April 30, 2024," he wrote on X, adding that a final decision on the project’s future would be made in the next few weeks.

In late October 2023, the Sri Lankan government announced plans to issue free visas to the citizens of Russia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. The initiative was launched in late November.

The Tourism Ministry said then that the visa fee waiver for visitors from certain countries was aimed at attracting more tourists to Sri Lanka. The country’s authorities expect annual tourist inflow to grow to five mln people in the next few years.