Ahead of the much-awaited tourism roadshows in India, the Government has ramped-up the visa processes to boost arrivals thereby enable a faster recovery of the triple-hit leisure industry.
The Tourism Ministry yesterday announced that the Cabinet of Ministers has approved a host of measures to extend longer visa visas. As per the Tourism Ministry, it has been decided to permit tourist visas for up to 180 days for those who apply via Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), whilst allowing single entry visa travellers to stay up to 270 days and extending the multiple entry visa for a year at once, which was previously limited to only 90 days.
“Upon discussing the Cabinet proposal submitted by Tourism Minister Harin Fernando on the suitability of issuing visas at once for a longer period, President Ranil Wickremesinghe in his capacity as the Defence Minister presented a fresh Cabinet paper which was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers,” a statement issued by the Ministry noted.
It also added that the support extended by the newly appointed 22-member Tourism Advisory Committee veterans representing various fields was indeed a pleasure.
Separately, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) confirmed that the long-awaited tourism roadshows in India will kick off next month.
“We are looking at promotions in India, which continues to be the largest tourist market for Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Tourism is planning to go ahead with promotions in key three cities, tentatively around the third week of September,” SLTPB Chairman Chalaka Gajabahu told the Daily FT.
FT