Close X
Sunday, December 15, 2024
ADVT 
International

Soon, Indians Visiting Sri Lanka To Be Exempted From Visa

IANS, 07 Aug, 2018 01:01 PM
    Indian tourists visiting Sri Lanka may soon be exempted from visa requirement as the government is mulling granting visa free entry to visitors from countries like India and China, Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said today.
     
     
    Mr Amaratunga said that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed a task force to study the possibility of granting visa free entry to visitors from certain tourist friendly nations to boost arrivals.
     
     
    India and China along with some other European and West Asian nations can benefit from it, he said.
     
     
    Following recommendations from the task force, this proposal may be implemented in the off season months of October to November and March to April, the minister said.
     
     
    Sri Lanka' tourism industry faced a difficult time until a decade back due to the civil war with the LTTE. However, in the recent years the island nation has emerged as a top tourism destination in Asia.
     
     
    Tourist arrivals have recorded a growth of 15.3 per cent during the first half of 2018 compared with the same period last year.
     
     
    India topped the number of tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka at 206,337 followed by the Chinese tourist whose figures stood at 136,294.
     
     
    All tourists to Sri Lanka must obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before their arrival.
     
     
    On the basis of reciprocity, citizens of Singapore, the Maldives and the Seychelles are exempt from the ETA and can obtain a visa on arrival free of charge.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    H-1B Visa Rules Tightening To Hit Indian IT Companies: Report

    H-1B Visa Rules Tightening To Hit Indian IT Companies: Report
    The US is also contemplating on awarding visas to the most skilled or to highest-paid beneficiaries

    H-1B Visa Rules Tightening To Hit Indian IT Companies: Report

    Sikhs Deny Entry to Indian Envoy in Pak Gurdwara to Protest Nanak Shah Fakir Movie Release

    Sikhs Deny Entry to Indian Envoy in Pak Gurdwara to Protest Nanak Shah Fakir Movie Release
    The Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan was denied entry by Sikhs who were protesting over controversial movie Nanak Shah Fakir.

    Sikhs Deny Entry to Indian Envoy in Pak Gurdwara to Protest Nanak Shah Fakir Movie Release

    31-Yr-Old Sikh Soccer Fan Gagan Racially Targeted For Supporting England Football Team

    31-Yr-Old Sikh Soccer Fan Gagan Racially Targeted For Supporting England Football Team
    The manager of GMS Heating & Plumbing was accused of forgetting his motherland and his skin colour in the poison pen letter.

    31-Yr-Old Sikh Soccer Fan Gagan Racially Targeted For Supporting England Football Team

    Indian-Origin UK Man Rhodenne Chand Jailed For Islamophobic Rant On Twitter

    Indian-Origin UK Man Rhodenne Chand Jailed For Islamophobic Rant On Twitter
    An Indian-origin British man who posted Islamophobic rants on social media in the wake of the terrorist attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester last year has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.

    Indian-Origin UK Man Rhodenne Chand Jailed For Islamophobic Rant On Twitter

    Two Indian-Americans Charged In $16 Million US Postal Service Fraud

    Two Indian-Americans Charged In $16 Million US Postal Service Fraud
    According to the charges, Yogesh Patel and Arvind Lakkamsanischemed with David Gargano to fraudulently cause the USPS to deliver numerous bulk mailings without payment.

    Two Indian-Americans Charged In $16 Million US Postal Service Fraud

    Indian Immigrants At US Detention Centre To Get Access To Meet Attorneys

    Nearly 100 Indians, Mostly From Punjab, Are Detained For Illegally Entering The Country

    Indian Immigrants At US Detention Centre To Get Access To Meet Attorneys