Ceylon Chamber urges government to revisit Sri Lanka’s visa strategy

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) yesterday called on the government to revisit the country’s visa strategy, so that Sri Lanka does not lose its market share in tourism to regional competitors.

The CCC, which represents the private sector across all industries, urged the government to consider all aspects of the new eVisa issuance process and review the pricing in the larger interest of growing the tourism sector. 
Presently, there is great debate on the cost and process of the new system. With the government having appointed a consortium led by VFS Global to facilitate visas, the charges have increased. According to applicants who have shared their experience regarding the platform, the process is not as convenient and user-friendly as it used to be.
The CCC asserted that the prime focus should be on destination marketing and improving the tourism offering. 
“While we understand the requirement to streamline systems and processes, it is vital that is done with the objective of being competitive relative to regional peers. 

“Hence, we request the government to consult the private sector and relevant stakeholders in devising a pricing mechanism and system which supports greater tourist arrivals,” the CCC said.

The Ministry of Tourism and the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) have repeatedly stressed the need for the island nation to have a tourist-friendly visa policy to lure more international visitors.

With tourism being one of the industries that was one of the worst hit due to the Covid pandemic, countries across the world have been exploring ways and means to increase tourist arrivals, and the free visa policy is one such that has been rolled.

Just yesterday, China reported that the Hainan province is experiencing a surge in inbound tourism, with many visitors coming from visa-free countries such as Russia. According to data released by the Haikou General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection, by July 14 more than 154,000 foreign tourists had entered without visa this year, which is over 12 times more than in the same period last year.

Vietnam this week announced that its Prime Minister has proposed visa waivers for several countries so that the nation stands out as a travel destination amidst tough competition in Southeast Asia.

Earlier this month, Thailand expanded free-visa entry to 93 countries.