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No new tourist visas to Indians

04 May 2021

  • Discussions underway to halt arrival of those who obtained visa before 29 April

  Foreigners holding an Indian passport would not be issued tourist visas to enter Sri Lanka for the time being in light of the Covid-19 crisis which has engulfed India, The Morning learnt. State Minister of Primary Healthcare, Epidemics, and Covid Disease Control Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle told The Morning yesterday (3) that this decision had been taken by the National Operations Centre for Prevention of Covid-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) Task Force. Speaking to The Morning yesterday, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) officials said that this decision has been implemented since 29 April. However, the officials said that a considerable number of visas were granted prior to the halting of the process, and that therefore, those visas could still be used to enter the country. The Morning, however, learnt that discussions are underway to stop even the Indians currently holding tourist visas – obtained prior to 29 April – from entering the country. Commenting on the total number of tourist arrivals to the country last month (April), SLTDA Director General Dhammika Wijayasinghe told The Morning that the four weeks of April recorded 1,159, 780, 795, and 1,079 tourist arrivals, respectively. “There were 602 tourist arrivals from 29 April till yesterday,” added Wijayasinghe. Wijayasinghe also said that, as of yesterday, there were no restrictions on tourist arrivals from other countries. Reports of 14-day quarantine packages sold by some travel agents to those arriving from India raised concerns last week and a travel bubble between the two countries was also proposed in mid-April.   


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