Sri Lanka has approved the issuing of free visas to tourists from India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand, the tourism minister said.
The cabinet approved this as a pilot project till 31 March with immediate effect.
“Cabinet approved visa free to India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand as a pilot project,” Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said.
Sri Lanka has free visas now to tourists from Singapore and Maldives who also do not charge a fee from Sri Lankans.
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.