The government has decided to provide free visa facilities to 40 more countries as a step to boost tourism. Accordingly, Parliament approved yesterday to amend the regulations under the relevant Immigration and Emigration Act.
According to the new amendments, free visa facilities will be provided to 40 countries including the United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Bahrain, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Russia and Thailand.
Speaking in Parliament on this, Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Ananda Wijepala said that tourists coming from those countries should follow all other procedures. The minister said that although they will only waive the visa fee, obtaining an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) is mandatory.
The government is expected to lose about US$75 million due to the free visa facility, but the minister pointed out that it is estimated that about 247,000 more tourists will come to the country due to this decision. He also said that it is expected to earn US$317 million.