Foreign Affairs and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath announced yesterday (25) that the Government has decided to waive visa fees for tourists from 40 additional countries, in a major move to boost arrivals and revitalise the tourism industry.
Speaking at the inauguration of the “Hotel Show Colombo 2025” exhibition held at the Bandaranaike International Conference Hall (BMICH), Minister Herath said that the Cabinet of Ministers had approved the decision, and a formal Gazette notification will be issued soon to implement the new visa policy.
“We will allow tourists from forty more countries to enter Sri Lanka without paying a visa fee once the relevant Gazette is published,” he said.
The Minister acknowledged that the Treasury would forego approximately USD 66 million annually in direct revenue from visa fees. However, he underscored that the potential indirect economic gains far outweigh the losses.
“While we may lose that amount directly, we expect to earn much more through increased tourist arrivals and the growth of the tourism industry,” he added.
The Government is aiming to attract more than 2.5 million tourists in 2025 as part of its broader post-crisis economic recovery strategy.
