Sri Lanka will allow visa-free entry to nationals of 40 countries from next month, a move intended to stimulate travel demand to the destination.
Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau chairman Buddika Hewawasam told TTG Asia that parliamentary approval was expected “any moment now” and that the plan would take effect from January onwards.
The countries included are the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Australia, Poland, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Nepal, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, France, the US, Canada, the Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Israel, Belarus, Iran, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, South Korea, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, New Zealand, Kuwait, Norway, Türkiye and Pakistan.
Nationals from India, China, Russia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia are already eligible for visa-free entry under an existing arrangement.
The free-visa scheme was first announced in July 2025, with cabinet approval granted at the time. It followed an earlier announcement in August 2024 to allow visa-free travel for nationals of 35 countries, which was not implemented.
The industry has welcomed the move, particularly following the impact of Cyclone Ditwah on November 27-28. “This will boost tourism,” a hotel manager in the southern port city of Galle said.
Hewawasam said tourism activity was returning to normal after the cyclone temporarily affected access to hill destinations including Nuwara Eliya and Kandy. “These roads are now open,” he said, adding that other popular resorts were not affected. He said arrivals were expected to pick up after December 16-17, as this is when travellers from the UK, France and other parts of Europe typically take their holidays.
Authorities are targeting between 2.1 and 2.2 million visitor arrivals this year, slightly below the initial target of 2.3 million. The shortfall has been attributed to cancellations and postponed travel plans following flooding and the cyclone.
