Sri Lanka mulling extention of visa exemption for Indians

In order to continue drawing tourists from India and promote return trips, Sri Lanka is probably going to prolong the country’s visa-exempt status beyond March. Minister of Lands, Tourism, Sports, and Youth Affairs Harin Fernando stated on Thursday.

“India is our number one source market and tourists from India helped our country on its path of recovery from the recent crisis we faced,” Fernando said during a session at OTM 2024.

From December 2023 to March, Sri Lanka allowed Indian travelers to enter the country without a visa.

“We are working on extending it beyond March. We want to make Sri Lanka an easily accessible destination for Indians, who can just walk into our country for a hassle free holiday,” he said.

According to him, by granting Indians a visa exemption, Sri Lanka will draw in more tourists, particularly those who book last-minute trips and find the visa application procedure difficult.

“In the time of more options, we have to ease the travel process to encourage more tourists from India and repeat footfalls,” he stated.

According to Ni Made Ayu Marthini, the deputy minister of marketing for Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, the country had granted visa-free status to 169 nations, but the pandemic had caused this to be halted.

“But we’ve started granting some countries visa waivers. India is at the top of the list of nations we are attempting to extend this to. I’m hoping we can give India visa status,” she continued.

India is the country’s second-largest source of travelers to Bali, ranking sixth overall in terms of foot traffic. Given its enormous population, India offers a sizable market with enormous potential.

More than 1,600 exhibitors from 60 countries, 30 Indian states, and Union territories are present at the three-day OTM, where they will network with more than 35,000 buyers and industry professionals.