Save Our Pak
A South Asian country has officially announced that it will remove visa fees for tourists from 40 countries, as Reported By Save Our Pak News Channel on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka’s Tourism Minister, Wajitha Herath, said that tourists from the USA, UK, Canada, Germany, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Australia, and many other countries will soon be able to enter the island without paying any visa fee. He said the purpose of this step is to attract more tourists, reduce paperwork, and show the world that Sri Lanka is open for tourism.
Minister Herath also said that removing visa fees might cost the government around 66 million dollars, but the rising number of visitors will help cover that loss through economic benefits.
This visa-free offer is actually an expansion of a smaller program started in March 2023, which allowed tourists from India, China, and Russia to get a free 30-day visa through Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). Until now, most foreign visitors from outside South Asia had to pay around 50 to 60 dollars for short-term tourist visas.
Sri Lanka has set a big goal for 2025: to welcome 3 million tourists and earn 5 billion dollars through tourism. This is a big increase from 2.05 million tourists and nearly 3 billion dollars in earnings in 2024.
Amrit Rajarathnam, the Managing Director of hospitality company Island Life Sri Lanka, said, “This move is a strong step toward making Sri Lanka a more reachable and competitive destination.”
Even if Sri Lanka doesn’t fully reach its goal of 3 million tourists in 2025, this decision is still expected to bring a big rise in the number of visitors. Many countries around the world are now following the trend of visa-free travel to boost their tourism.
