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Russians make up 10% of tourists to Sri Lanka in April — Tourism Development Authority

Russia came in second in terms of the number of tourists last month after India, the UK came in third

NEW DELHI, May 6. /TASS/. More than 14,800 tourists from Russia visited Sri Lanka in April, accounting for 10% of the tourist flow to the island country, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) reported.

Russia came in second in terms of the number of tourists last month after India, with Sri Lanka having received 26,700 tourists from this country. The UK came in third with 13,300 tourists.

The number of tourists that visited Sri Lanka in April totaled 148,867, which is 41% higher than in the same month in 2023, though notably lower compared with 208,000 tourist arrivals in March. The new visa system that was enacted on April 17 was one of the reasons behind the decrease in the tourist flow as tourist visas became more expensive and harder to get, travel agencies believe.

The government of Sri Lanka established an expert committee that was tasked with exploring the feasibility of introducing visa-free tourist visas for encouraging tourism in the country, Daily Mirror reported. The committee will look at international models of free tourist visa programs and assess their potential influence on Sri Lanka’s tourist sector and provide recommendations to the country’s president Ranil Wickremesinghe on the feasibility of introducing them within three months.

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Tourism Sri Lanka

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