MOSCOW, May 6. /TASS/. The demand of Russian tourists for travel to Sri Lanka may decrease after the introduction of paid visas to the country from June 1, the press service of the Russian Union of Travel Industry reported.

"Tour operators fear that the return of paid visas and their significant increase in price will lead to a decline in demand for the destination, which was exceptionally high in 2024. <...> They are confused not only by the increase in the visa price, but also by the information uncertainty around the innovation," the report said.

Sri Lankan tour operators informed their Russian counterparts that as of June 1, the price of an electronic visa and a visa on arrival will reach $75 for tourists of all ages. A service fee of $18.5 and a handling fee of $9 will be also charged. As a result, tourists will have to pay $102.5 to enter Sri Lanka, the Union noted.

In turn, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) reported earlier that more than 14,800 tourists from Russia visited Sri Lanka in April, accounting for 10% of the tourist flow to the island country, 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.