SRI Lanka is extending the use of its free visa-on-arrival (VOA) facility for overseas visitors till March 31, 2012, after previously deciding to replace it with a fee-based online application service from beginning of next year.
Sri Lanka Tourism said in a statement that the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system would go online starting January 1 as planned, while the extended VOA scheme would only be available to “those who are making travel arrangements before December 31, 2011”.
There have been multiple deviations in policy with regards to the implementation of Sri Lanka’s ETA system over the past few months.
Initial plans were to withdraw the VOA facility and apply the new system from September 30 onwards (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 30).
Then, the launch date was pushed back till beginning of next year, with a trial period introduced to allow tourism stakeholders to adjust to the new system (TTG Asia e-Daily, September 30). The system would run parallel to the VOA scheme, and a US$50 and US$75 visa-processing fee would be levied on online and VOA applications, respectively.
Sri Lankan tourism authorities then decided to reduce the online visa processing fees and do away with the VOA in the face of pressure from travel industry stakeholders (TTG Asia e-Daily, November 9), before the latest changes were announced.
“There is a lot of confusion in the online visa scheme and some issues. We have requested for a postponement,” said Hiran Cooray, chairman of Jetwing Hotels.
