Sri Lanka plans to extend its free visa facility for visitors from seven key markets beyond March 2024 to boost tourist arrivals amid record levels anticipated this year. Introduced as a pilot project in November, the facility was set to end in March 2024 but may now be extended due to promising arrivals in January and a target of 2.4 million arrivals for 2024. The seven countries include India, China, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan, with Indonesia and Japan seen as emerging markets. Despite falling short of the 2023 target of 1.5 million arrivals, Sri Lanka saw a sharp increase in arrivals to 1,487,303 in 2023, with January 2024 arrivals totaling 208,253, more than double the previous year’s figures.
Additionally, provisional data showed 60,122 arrivals in the first eight days of February 2024. Alongside this initiative, Sri Lanka is promoting a special visa for nomads who can work online from the country, aiming to encourage work visas for this category of tourists. Nomad travelers are those who work remotely while moving between countries. Harsha Ilukpitiya, immigration and emigration controller general, confirmed this effort to attract remote workers.
Source: TTGASIA
