Sri Lanka approves free visas for Malaysians, visitors from six other countries

MOSCOW - The Sri Lankan government has approved temporarily waiving visa fees for tourists from Russia, China and India, among several other countries, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said on Tuesday, reported Sputnik.

"Cabinet approves issuing of free visas to India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand with immediate effect as a pilot project till March 31," Sabry said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Earlier this month, Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said Sri Lanka intended to eliminate visa fees for tourists from China, Russia, India, Thailand and Indonesia. The aim of the decision, he said, is to attract more tourists from these countries and achieve the target of five million tourists in Sri Lanka annually in the coming years. - BERNAMA-SPUTNIK