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Sri Lanka offers free visas amid tourism crisis

As Sri Lanka’s tourism crisis continues, Colombo announced that they will offer free tourism visas on arrival, in a move to boost tourist numbers following the Easter Sunday bombings.

Visa-free entry will be available to 48 nations and the offer will remain for six months.

On April 21, Islamist extremists targeted three luxury hotels in Colombo and three churches in Batticaloa, Negombo and Colombo, killing over 250 people.

Following the attacks, several countries then issued travel advisories, undermining Sri Lanka’s tourism industry. Foreign visitor arrivals fell by 70.8 per cent in May. 

Tourism Development Minister, John Amaratunga, confirmed the move and said that he expects the move to boost tourist arrivals. 

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