Surprise Reversal: Sri Lanka Cancels Visa Price Increase

The Sri Lankan government had announced an increase in the fee for tourist visas from US$50 to US$100, which caused concern for the travel and tourism industry. However, on May 6, the government reversed this decision due to the industry's problems, which has brought reassurance to the industry bodies.

In addition to reversing the fee increase, the government also decided to maintain the Immigration and Emigration Department as the sole facilitator for visa processing and facilitation rather than allowing VFS Global, a global visa facilitation company, to handle the process.

The new fee, which included a US$25 service and facilitation charge by VFS Global, was implemented on April 17. However, industry players had warned that this fee increase would adversely impact tourist arrivals. Long queues formed at the Bandaranaike International Airport due to a glitch in the system, highlighting the issue.

Industry bodies, including the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators, the Travel Agents Association of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka Association of Professional Conference Exhibition and Event Organizers, and the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in Tourism, had earlier urged the government to restore the previous ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) system, allowing tourists to obtain visas with ease. They deemed this crucial for sustaining the positive momentum of tourism recovery.

Tourism minister Harin Fernando clarified that he did not implement the changes and that it was the decision of the Minister of National Security, Tiran Alles. Fernando believes that visas should be eliminated to simplify the travelling process for tourists.