SRI Lankan tourism authorities have buckled under industry pressure and agreed to reduce new online visa processing fees for overseas visitors, which were due to take effect beginning next year (TTG Asia e-Daily, September 30).
The US$50 fee will be reduced to US$10 for South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nationals and US$20 for non-SAARC nationals. There will also be a fee waiver for passengers transiting through Colombo—valid for stays of up to 48 hours, and children under the age of 12.
Sri Lanka Tourism Authority chairman Nalaka Godahewa told reporters last week that the government had decided to reduce the processing fee after receiving industry feedback that the high price would hamper inbound travel.
According to Nihal Perera, chairman of Colombo-based Sparklink Travels, many overseas tour operators complained that the fee would cut into their margins. “There was some hesitancy to promote Sri Lanka by operators because of this new cost,” he said.
India, Sri Lanka’s top source market, also raised concerns over the rate and requested that a nominal sum be implemented for SAARC nationals.
S. Paramanathan, president of the Travel Agents Association of Sri Lanka, said the local travel trade had been particularly concerned that the fee would affect Indian arrivals.
