Sri Lanka introduces free visas for Russian tourists for 5 months

MOSCOW. Oct 24 (Interfax) - The government of Sri Lanka has approved free visas for citizens of Russia and another five countries until March 31, 2024, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said.

"[The] Cabinet approves issuing of free visas to India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand with immediate effect as a pilot project till March 31," Sabry said on social media.

The Sri Lankan Tourism Ministry said last week that the government should issue free visas to tourists from five countries.

The government also proposed that a system of e-tickets to most tourist attractions be implemented in the near future.

The measures aim to attract a large number of foreign tourists to Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Tourism Ministry said earlier it aimed to increase the annual number of tourist arrivals to 5 million.

About 80,000 Russian tourists visited Sri Lanka in 2022, which is 25% of total foreign tourist arrivals. Fifty thousand Russian tourists visited Sri Lanka in January-August.