COLOMBO : Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) has sought the intervention of president Ranil Wickremesinghe to restore the online entry visa services .
Expressing its concerns SLAITO has said in a letter addressed to the president ; “We the industry want to bring to your attention recent changes in the tourist visa process for those visiting Sri Lanka. On April 16th, 2024, the Controller General of Immigration issued suspending the Government ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) website. Consequently, visas will now be processed exclusively through a private company-operated website at https://www.srilankaevisa.Ik/ starting April 17th, 2024.
We have raised our concerns with the Honorable Minister, who has assured us that a single-entry tourist visa willbe made available for US$ 50inclusive of all chargesm by May 1st, 2024. However, the application process remains complex and unfriendly, with additional fees likely to apply.
There has been a significant increase in the cost of tourist visas, with the new private website not
offering the previously available single-entry tourist visa with a 30-day validity. Instead, only a more expensive six-month multiple-entry visa is currently available at a total cost of US$100.77 due to additional service and convenience fees.
A Recent study indicates that Sri Lanka now has the highest visa costs in Asia, creating a significant barier for tourists compared to competing destinations like Thailand, Vietnam and many other destinations that offer free visas or charge much lower fees. Moreover, as we go into the period of family travel in July &August, the current fees would require a farnily of four to pay US$ 400 just to enter the country.
We have attached herewith a report with information on visa costs and how this change of process and cost increase will affect the industry in Sri Lanka. We have also attached an email sent out from the new visa website to a tourist, asking him to re schedule his holiday as they are unable to issue the visa in time, due to a glitch in the system.
The tourism industry, a key pillar of our economic recovery, is aiming for 2.3 to 2.5 million tourist arrivals in 2024. However, these visa changes threaten this goal.
The abrupt fee increase and complicated process are likely to deter tourists, potentially reducing arrivals to below 2 milion. We cannot therefore help but wonder your excellency, whilst yourself together with the tourism authorities and industry lead by the Honorable Minister, are working tirelessly to rebuild, that some elements, from within your government, are trying to disrupt the progress.
We respectfully urge you to intervene and restore a competitive and user-friendly visa process
through a government-operated website, similar to the previous ETA system to enable a tourist
to obtain the necessary 30 days, single entry visa, with ease. This adjustment is crucial to sustaining the positive momentum in our tourism industry and supporting the broader economic
recovery efforts.
Thank you for your attention and continued support of our industry.”
