COLOMBO, Jul 26 (NNN-XINHUA) – The Sri Lankan government has decided to waive visa fees for 40 additional countries, to boost tourism, a senior minister said, yesterday.
Speaking at the “Hotel Show Colombo 2025” exhibition, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism, Vijitha Herath, stated that the decision was made at the recent cabinet meeting.
Sri Lanka currently allows tourists from seven countries to visit the country without paying visa fees. The minister said, the Treasury will lose about 66 million U.S. dollars in direct revenue by waiving these fees. However, the government expects greater indirect income through increased tourism.
Tourism is one of Sri Lanka’s main sources of foreign revenue. The country earned approximately 3.17 billion dollars from tourism last year.– NNN-XINHUA
