The Sri Lankan government has approved temporarily waiving visa fees for tourists from selected countries including Malaysia Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said.
“Cabinet approves issuing of free visas to India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand with immediate effect as a pilot project till March 31,” Sabry said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Earlier this month, Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said Sri Lanka intended to eliminate visa fees for tourists from China, Russia, India, Thailand, and Indonesia.
The aim he said, is to attract more tourists from these countries and achieve the target of five million tourists in Sri Lanka annually in the coming years.
The island nation is experiencing a poor economic climate after a series of political tussles, the overthrowing of a government, and riots. The Sri Lankan rupee has also depreciated substantially over the period.
