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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

Russia keeps positive dynamics of agricultural production — ministry

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Russia elected to UN Committee for Program and Coordination

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Not all Republicans support Trump in refusing further military aid to Kiev — newspaper

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Russian politician condemns destruction of dam on Kurakhovo reservoir as Kiev’s terror act

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US missile defense base in Poland to defend US, Europe alike — Polish foreign minister

Radoslaw Sikorski also expressed hope that the base will never go into action

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Ukraine moves medics, non-combat personnel to infantry to counter Russian advance

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Russian frigate carrying hypersonic weapons embarks on first deployment in distant waters

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Czech intelligence warns of crime surge after Ukraine conflict ends

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Damascus may count on joining BRICS after Syrian crisis is settled — Russian diplomat

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Trump announces appointment of senior White House officials

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Israel delivering strikes on refugee camps in Gaza — TV

At least ten people have been killed, Al Jazeera reported

Ukraine's Kurakhovo Reservoir dam blast to help, not hurt Russian troops — expert

At least ten Ukrainian troops were killed

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Russia inks first deals to deliver Su-57 fifth-generation fighter to foreign customers

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Russia open for contacts with Trumps’ team on Syria — Russian diplomat

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"It is too early to talk about this because we should wait at least for the president’s inauguration," Alexander Lavrentyev noted

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Bank of Russia sets dollar rate at 98.37 rubles for November 14

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Russian diplomat hails Odessa woman as defender of truth after flag protest

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Russian citizenship approvals down 44% since January — ministry

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54 countries vote against resolution on combating ne-Nazism

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Russia to hold Astana-format summit in 2025 — Russian diplomat

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Medvedev characterizes Great Britain as eternal adversary of Russia

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Russian delegation at COP29 in Baku is first carbon-neutral

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Russian diplomat doubts EU economy could rebound unless policy toward Moscow changes

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Lukashenko tells Putin situation is "starting to get tense with Wagner"

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