Sri Lanka’s tourism stakeholders are urging the government to strongly consider a visa fee waiver by issuing free visas to entice increased travel to the destination and thereby gain an advantage against other competing nations for more tourist arrivals.
The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has carried out research into this aspect and stated that the target of achieving 5 million tourist arrivals by 2030 could be gained by leveraging visa fee waivers as a facilitator.
As per the forecasted value for tourist arrivals for 2024 targeted at 2, 363, 475; if a minimum of 5 per cent of increase is to be expected of the forecasted value due to the visa free facility it would generate an increase of 118, 173 travellers that would draw in an additional income during visa free facility at US$85.2 million and if an increase in seven countries is expected due to the visa free status the additional income generated would total $184.1 million.
It notes that by waiving visa fees for tourists, Sri Lanka can enhance its attractiveness as a destination, thereby potentially increasing tourist arrivals.
Extending visa free entry to transit passengers from countries like India, Russia, the UK, Germany, China, France, Australia, the US, Poland, Canada, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, Maldives, and a number of other states in Asia, West Asia, South America, and Europe could serve as an incentive for them to spend a few days in Sri Lanka.
It was also pointed out in the research findings that tourists often spend money not only on visa fees but also on various goods and services during their stay. When potential tourists are deterred by high visa costs and difficult processes, countries miss out on potential revenue from tourism – related spending.
Source: Sunday Times
