Sri Lanka Offers Visa-Free Entry To Saudi And UAE Citizens Starting October

Listen up all travellers! The Sri Lankan government has decided to permit visa-free entry for citizens of 35 countries, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Tourists from these nations will receive a visa valid for 30 days, with this visa-free access effective from October 1, lasting six months.

The Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh announced that Saudi citizens can enter Sri Lanka without a visa starting from October 1, 2024. This move is expected to boost tourism and trade between the two countries.

In June 2024, Saudi Arabia ranked third as a potential market for Sri Lankan tourism. It also placed 23rd as an export market for tourists visiting Sri Lanka during the same period, according to a report by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.

The extensive list includes India, China, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Australia, Denmark, Poland, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Nepal, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, and France.

The decision followed a recommendation by a committee of experts who conducted studies on implementing a visa-free regime for tourists from several countries. The Sri Lankan Council of Ministers approved this recommendation on Wednesday.

The island is expecting to close the year at 2.3 million arrivals. India is the largest source of tourists with 246,922 arrivals, followed by UK with 123,992, latest data from the Sri Lanka Development Authority showed.

Sri Lanka earned $1.5 billion from tourism in the first six months of 2024, up from $875 million dollars during the same period last year, according to the central bank.

This initiative aims to strengthen ties between Sri Lanka and other nations while promoting tourism and economic growth. The visa-free policy is expected to attract more visitors and foster better international relations.