Sri Lanka is planning to waive visa fees to tourists coming from India, China, Russia, Thailand and Indonesia, according to the tourism ministry.
“Everything is ready for free visa approval for five countries namely China, India, Russia, Thailand and Indonesia,” Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said in a twitter.com message.
“Through this, the doors will be opened for a new leap in the tourism sector.”
A statement from the Ministry of Tourism said a cabinet paper had been submitted jointly by Prime Minister, Tourism and Public Security Ministers.
Sri Lanka has free visas now to tourists from Singapore and Maldives who also do not charge a fee from SriLankans.
Others have to pay about 30 US dollars to get electronic travel authorization online, with a lower fee for South Asia.
The ETA comes fast and can be quickly filled.
“Sri Lanka may be known as the teardrop isle (due to its distinctive shape), but the country’s refreshingly straightforward visa system shouldn’t be a source of much anguish for travelers,” a story on Lonely Planet says.
“The process is very simple and quick,” according to Tripadvisor.com. “A visa can still be obtained at BIA Colombo for $5 extra, but having an ETA visa means quicker exit from the immigration process.”
The ETA made it much easier for travelers especially from non-Western countries to get prior authorization to visit Sri Lanka as they did not have to send documents to missions in the capital city.
However other observers say for Western visitors in particular, who are used do hopping on to planes or trains and travelling to other countries, visas and prepayments can be a barrier and Sri Lanka may lose out to competition.
There have been concerns raised of late that price floors on hotel rooms may put the country at a disadvantage.
In the ASEAN region also intra-region tourism is booming due to lack of visas.