Sri Lanka approves pilot visa-free program for 7 countries

A trial program allowing entry without a visa has been approved by the government of Sri Lanka in an effort to boost travel from seven nations: China, India, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand. This plan aims to rehabilitate the nation’s economy and tourism sector, which have suffered due to economic problems and the pandemic.

It will go into effect immediately and last until March 31, 2024. After welcoming slightly over a million tourists in the first nine months of 2023, mostly from India, Russia, and the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka aims to welcome five million tourists by 2026.

This action is a part of a bigger effort by Asian travel hotspots to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and grow their tourism industries. Economic problems, the pandemic, and the Easter Sunday attack of 2019 have all caused challenges for Sri Lanka’s tourism industry. The travel retail industry is expected to benefit from the new visa-free policy, which will increase demand for hotels and airlines and provide chances for downtown stores.

The first duty-free store to open in a downtown area of Sri Lanka, Port City Duty Free Mall, opened at the same time as this building. The 7,000-square-meter mall will have a 1,250-square-meter duty-free shop run by Singapore-based One World Duty Free (ODF). A range of international brands in beauty, health, spirits, wines, and fashion will be available at the Port City Mall, which is situated next to international hotels and casinos. ODF’s arrival in Sri Lanka is a significant turning point for the nation’s travel retail industry and tourism sector as a whole, offering top-notch shopping experiences and advancing the nation’s economy at the same time.

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Original article by: TR Business