Tuesday Dec 03, 2024
Tuesday Dec 03, 2024
Saturday, 24 August 2024 01:45 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The tourism industry stakeholders yesterday expressed strong support for the Government’s decision to offer free-of-charge visas to national of 35 countries from 1 October, whilst insisting on the need for the swift implementation of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system to fully capitalise on this opportunity.
“This is a great initiative, and the industry welcomes this positive move,” said top tourism associations, Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) and The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL).
They pointed out that the countries included in the free-visa list have high potential, particularly in established where this incentive will contribute to further growth.
“This is a step in the right direction as it could significantly boost tourist arrivals from key markets such as the UK, India, Germany and Australia,” they added.
However, the industry leaders stressed the importance of having an efficient online platform for obtaining ETAs or visas.
“Though the Government decision will react positively, October to March bookings will be negatively impacted if there is no action taken to revert to ETA,” they pointed out.
The Supreme Court, on 2 August, ordered the Department of Immigration and Emigration to return to the previous ETA visa processing arrangement and the suspension of service and convenience fees imposed under the new e-visa system. The Court’s decision followed multiple challenges from stakeholders who argued that the new visa process violated the law, was non-transparent and lacked competitive bidding.
Earlier this week, the DIE Controller General Harsha Ilukpitiya said it is awaiting instructions from the Attorney General (AG) to resolve the ongoing visa issuance debacle following a Supreme Court ruling.
The industry stakeholders expressed hope that the current situation related visa processing system will be resolved without further delay.
“We also hope that the free visa will not have added frills with multiple service charges,” they added.
Separately, the Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Bandula Gunawardena also believed that the travellers will not have to bear any cost for visa.
“Irrespective of ETA or e-visa application, I think visitors are not required to pay anything at all. Everything related to visa is free-of-charge,” he said in responding to a query posed at the weekly post-Cabinet meeting media briefing yesterday.
