The country saw its tourism industry hit first by the Covid 19 pandemic and then by a serious financial crisis in 2022, which led to mass protests and shortages of essential goods, such as fuel.

But the tourism industry is reaping the benefits of a recovery that began last year, with Sri Lanka recording nearly 2 million arrivals by mid-August, the first time since 2019.

Tourists from the countries in question will be able to receive 30-day visas under a six-month pilot programme starting on 1 October: “The government’s aim is to transform Sri Lanka into a visa-free country” like Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, in order to benefit from the benefits of a fast-growing tourism industry,” explains Cabinet spokesman and Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardana, and reported by Publituris.

Countries covered by the programme include France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Japan, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Belarus, Canada, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, the United States, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Oman, the Netherlands, Poland, Qatar, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland and Thailand. Portugal is not on the list of countries benefiting from this measure.

According to the latest data from the Sri Lanka Development Authority, India is the largest source of tourists, with 246,922 tourists, followed by Great Britain, with 123,992 tourists.