13 July 2024 12:01 am Views - 251
By Yohan Perera
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader MP Rauff Hakeem who launched a scathing attack on the eVisa system said a significant drop in tourist arrivals is reported because of its introduction, and urged the government to take immediate corrective action.
Presenting data, he said a significant drop in tourist arrivals had been reported from January 1 to April 15, 2024, the average growth rate of tourist arrivals was an impressive 84 per cent compared to the same period in 2023,” he stated. “However, post-implementation of the eVisa service, this growth rate plummeted to just 25.3 per cent from April 16 to June 30, 2024.” The MP underscored that this drastic decline was a direct result of the exorbitant visa fees. “Previously, there were no service fees.
Now, tourists are required to pay an additional US $ 25 in service fees on top of the government visa fee of US $ 50. This represents a 50 per cent increase in the cost of obtaining a visa to visit our country,” he said.
The MP presented a graph to prove his point and said this decline was confirmed by the Director General of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, who had confirmed to the Committee on Public Finance that the decline was due to the Visa fiasco!
Countering VFS Global’s Justification, addressing a recent press statement by VFS Global, which attempted to justify the high fees by claiming that moderate increases do not affect tourist arrivals, Hakeem labelled this assertion as grossly misleading. He said VFS Global would earn profit amounting to US $ 2.4 billion out of this business outsourced to them.
“The increase in visa fees was not slight, moderate, or marginal – it was exorbitant and arbitrary,” he argued. Such a significant hike is bound to deter tourists, especially those from budget-sensitive markets. Importance of Following Procurement Guidelines Hakeem stressed the critical need for adherence to Sri Lanka’s 2016 Procurement Guidelines to avoid such anomalies. “If the procurement guidelines had been strictly followed, many of these issues could have been addressed,” he said.
These guidelines ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness in public procurements, which are essential to maintaining public trust and achieving the best value for our nation.
National Security Threat One of the gravest concerns raised by Hakeem was the national security threat posed by the current eVisa arrangement.
“All data of arriving passengers into Sri Lanka is collected by GBS/IVS through the website www.srilankaevisa.lk and stored on servers owned by these entities,” he said.
“This means that sensitive data is in the custody of unknown third parties and non-state actors, posing severe security risks.”
He highlighted that the website is owned by VFS Global Services Pvt Ltd, a company not registered in Sri Lanka, indicating that the data is controlled by an external entity.
“The custody of such sensitive data by an unverified entity can lead to data breaches, misuse, and potential espionage,” he warned.
“The lack of direct control over this data by Sri Lanka poses a significant threat to our national security.”
Mr. Hakeem urged Parliament to take immediate action: Reevaluate the Visa Fee Structure: Reduce the exorbitant service fees to make Sri Lanka a more attractive destination for tourists, Strictly Adhere to Procurement Guidelines: Ensure all future contracts and agreements are made following established procurement guidelines to prevent such anomalies, Eliminate Unnecessary Middlemen: Streamline processes to eliminate the need for middlemen, thereby reducing costs and enhancing transparency.