Sara had been subjected to 'acts of extreme cruelty' but Sharif and Batool had not shown 'a shred of remorse', says judge Cavanagh
world1 day ago
Sri Lanka's cabinet approved issuing free tourist visas to visitors from 35 countries including China, India and Russia, a top official said on Thursday, in an effort to boost tourism and help revive its crisis-hit economy.
Tourists will be given 30-day visas under a six-month pilot programme that will start from October 1, said Cabinet spokesman and Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardana.
"The aim of the government is to transform Sri Lanka into a free visa country, much like Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam to tap into the benefits of a rapidly growing tourism industry," Gunawardana told reporters at a weekly cabinet briefing.
The extensive list includes India, China, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Australia, Denmark, Poland, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Nepal, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, and France.
The country of 22 million people, famed for its beaches, ancient temples and aromatic tea, saw its tourism industry pummelled first by the Covid-19 pandemic and then by a severe financial crisis in 2022 that saw mass scale protests and shortages of essentials such as fuel.
But the tourism industry is reaping the benefits of a turnaround that began last year with Sri Lanka clocking nearly two million arrivals by mid-August, for the first time since 2019.
The island is expecting to close the year at 2.3 million arrivals.
India is the largest source of tourists with 246,922 arrivals, followed by the UK with 123,992, latest data from the Sri Lanka Development Authority showed.
Sri Lanka earned $1.5 billion from tourism in the first six months of 2024, up from $875 million dollars during the same period last year, according to the central bank.
ALSO READ:
Sara had been subjected to 'acts of extreme cruelty' but Sharif and Batool had not shown 'a shred of remorse', says judge Cavanagh
world1 day ago
The UNHCR Director said that some of those fleeing could be linked to the former government or else be religious minorities with concerns
world1 day ago
Rafah residents say Israeli tanks pushed deeper towards the western area of Mawasi, known as a humanitarian-designated area
world1 day ago
Kamal Adwan is one of the last operational medical facilities in the north of the war-ravaged territory, with the WHO warning earlier this month that it was operating at a 'minimum' level
world1 day ago
A tsunami warning was issued after the quake, with waves of up to one metre forecast for some areas, but it was soon lifted by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre
world1 day ago
Vanuatu's vulnerability to earthquakes has consistently ranked it as the most at risk country globally under the UN's World Risk Index
world1 day ago
First elected to parliament in 2013, the former journalist joined Trudeau's cabinet two years later when the Liberals swept to power
world2 days ago
Most areas in the city of Qusayr were off-limits to us, says 22-year-old resident Ali Khleif
world2 days ago