Sri Lanka is returning to an old visa system, offering visas on arrival, after a Sri Lankan court cancelled a new one which was criticised by the tourism industry as cumbersome, costly and allegedly fraudulent.
Responding on August 2 to seven petitions by key stakeholders in the industry and three opposition politicians, the Supreme Court ordered the return to the old visa system and cancellation of the current one, bowing to claims of too many procedures in the new scheme and allegations of a fraudulent deal.
“There may be some confusion (in obtaining visas) but I hope it will be sorted out soon,” said Nishad Wijetunga, president of the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO), one of the petitioners.
The Department of Immigration and Emigration, pursuant to the court ruling, said on Monday that the Sri Lankan e-visa website had been deactivated until further notice. In a notice to the trade and Sri Lankan embassies overseas, the department said it was hoping to restore the old e-visa platform as soon as possible.
Accordingly, visas will be issued on arrival at the Colombo airport at a fee of US$50 per 30-day entry. Until the old online visa is reintroduced, visas can also be obtained at Sri Lankan missions abroad. Citizens of India, China, Russia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia will continue to be issued free visas on arrival.
Tourist arrivals totalled 1,198,059 in January-July 2024, up sharply from 769,913 in the same 2023 period. However, the figures in April to July this year were lower than forecasts partly because of the complex visa process, officials said.
Sri Lanka is aiming for 2.3 million arrivals this year, similar to the record 2.3 million achieved in 2018.
