Sri Lanka is likely to extend visa exemption status for India beyond March to continue attracting visitors from the country and encouraging repeat visits, Tourism and Lands, Sports, and Youth Affairs Minister Harin Fernando said on Thursday (8).
“India is our number one source market, and Indian tourists have helped our country recover from the recent crisis,” Fernando stated during a session at the Outbound Travel Mart (OTM) 2024.
From December 2023 to March 2024, Sri Lanka allowed Indian travellers to enter the country without a visa.
“We’re working to extend it beyond March. We want to make Sri Lanka an easily accessible destination for Indians, who can simply walk into our country for a hassle-free vacation,” he said.
Sri Lanka will attract more visitors by offering visa exemption to Indians, particularly those who make last-minute plans and find the visa process inconvenient, he said.
“In the time of more options, we have to ease the travel process to encourage more tourists from India and repeat footfalls,” he went on to say.
Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of Marketing, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Ni Made Ayu Marthini said the country had given visa-free status to 169 countries, but this was suspended due to the pandemic.
“However, we have begun opening visa exemptions for a few countries. However, we are working on extending this and India is on the top of the list of countries. I hope we will be able to grant India visa status,” she added.
India is the number two source for Bali and for overall footfalls of the country, India is number six and with such a huge population, it provides a large market with great potential, she added.
The three-day OTM has more than 1,600 exhibitors participating from 60 countries and 30 Indian states and Union Territories connecting with over 35,000 industry professionals and buyers.
Source: PTI
