NEW DELHI, March 4. /TASS/. The Sri Lankan authorities do not intend to extend the program for issuing free visas to citizens of seven countries, including Russia, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported citing Sri Lanka's Public Security Minister Tiran Alles.
"When asked whether the project that permitted visa-free entry to visitors from seven countries, including India, China and Russia, would be extended further, the minister expressed that the facility may not be extended. The pilot project is set to remain in effect until March 31, 2024," the newspaper wrote.
Earlier, Sri Lankan Tourism Minister Harin Fernando announced that the authorities are working to extend this pilot project, even planning to expand it to new countries.
In late October last year, the Cabinet of Ministers of Sri Lanka announced the start of issuing free visas to citizens of Russia, India, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Thailand and Japan.
The project was launched at the end of November. Citizens of the abovementioned countries simply had to apply for an e-visa prior to arrival. Tourists are allowed a 30-day stay in the country. Double entry is permitted from the date of first arrival in Sri Lanka for a period of 30 days. If this period expires after March 31, 2024, the applicant will not be allowed to obtain a free visa extension.
The Sri Lankan Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) reported that Russia became the leader in tourist flows to Sri Lanka in February. During this period, more than 30,000 tourists from Russia arrived in the island state, they accounted for 15% of the total influx of foreign guests, which exceeded 218,000 tourists from different countries. India ranked second in the February tourist flow (14%), the UK was third (9%). Compared to February 2023, the tourist arrival rate soared by 102.8% year on year.