Tourism leaders in Sri Lanka have complained about the decision of the country to increase the visa fees, saying that Sri Lanka now has the highest visa costs on the Asian continent.
Expressing their discontent about the increase in visa fees, the tourism leaders stressed that this would push international travelers away from Thailand and push them to choose other destinations that offer visas for lower fees instead, VisaGuide.World reports.
As Daily Mirror explains, the tourism leaders have already required the President of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe, through an official letter to lower the visa costs as they were in the past.
According to tourism leaders, it is important that the country takes measures as soon as possible to reverse the decision and continue providing services that do not hurt the pocket of travelers.
The same have said that Sri Lanka aims to reach the 2.5 million tourist arrivals target at the end of this year. However, in line with the newly made changes, they are skeptical about this happening as travelers will now opt for countries like Vietnam and Thailand, which have less expensive visa fees.
A recent study indicates that Sri Lanka now has the highest visa costs in Asia, creating a significant barrier for tourists compared to competing destinations like Thailand, Vietnam and many others that offer free visas or charge much lower fees.
Sri Lanka Increased Visa Fees & Launched New e-Visa System Last Month
Last month, Sri Lanka increased its visa fee and also launched a new e-Visa system.
The Sri Lankan authorities said that the e-Visa system has replaced the Electronic Travel Authorization that has been applied so far. The same explained that the main reason for this change is to ensure efficiency and convenience for travelers reaching the country.
Regarding visa fees, Sri Lanka now requires nationals of countries not part of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to pay a $75 fee for a standard tourist visa, which is 50 percent higher than the previous fee.
On the other hand, according to the Travel Trade Journal, nationals of countries part of the SAARC are now required to pay $35 for a standard tourist visa.
Moreover, certain groups of travelers are exempted from the visa fee. As a document provided by the official Sri Lanka eVisa website shows, certain nationalities are not required to pay for the fee. Diplomats are also not subject to the visa fee.