Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath announced plans to introduce a free visa policy for citizens of 39 countries, with a Cabinet paper to formalize the initiative and present it to Parliament soon.
Initially approved on August 21, 2024, the program was set to run for six months starting October 1, 2024. It builds upon a prior policy introduced in November 2023 that offered free visas to seven countries, including China, India, and Russia, which was later extended indefinitely.
Minister Herath noted that the delayed rollout was due to necessary adjustments and the absence of an active Parliament at the time.
Tourism experts have praised the initiative, highlighting its potential to simplify travel and encourage tourists to allocate more of their budgets to accommodations, activities, and experiences. The earlier program yielded positive results, and expanding the list of eligible countries is expected to amplify these benefits.
The original list of 35 countries included India, China, the UK, Germany, and Australia. With the new additions, the total now stands at 39.
Sri Lanka recorded 153,761 tourist arrivals in the first 19 days of 2025, marking a 20.2% increase compared to the same period in 2024, with daily arrivals averaging 8,093. India, Russia, and the UK emerged as the top markets.
The country aims to attract three million tourists and generate $5 billion in revenue in 2025, aligning with its larger vision of welcoming five million visitors by 2030 while addressing security challenges.
