Sri Lanka To Offer Free Tourist Visa to Seven Countries Including Malaysia
This visa is valid till 31 March 2024.
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Visitors from Malaysia along with other 6 countries will be provided free tourist visas till 31 March 2024, by Sri Lanka as approved by its cabinet.
The other countries include Thailand, Indonesia, China, Japan, India, and Russia.
This scheme is implemented as an effort to improve the country’s tourism as it was stated by the media ministry of Sri Lanka.
Known for its beaches, historic temples, and fragrant tea, the nation of 22 million people saw its tourist sector severely damaged by both Covid-19 and a severe financial crisis last year that resulted in widespread protests and shortages of necessities like petrol as reported by Reuters.
However, in recent times the tourism sector has started to bloom with India being its major contributor as there were 200,310 arrivals from India alone as showed by the latest data from the Sri Lanka Development Authority
This led to Sri Lanka earning $1.3 billion in the last eight months in the year 2023 alone according to the central bank.
Moreover, Sri Lanka is attempting to recover its tourism by targeting 5 million visitors by the year 2026.
Places to visit in Sri Lanka
Since it is the end of the year and many would be planning for a holiday, they could take up Sri Lanka as an option with the availability of a free tourist visa.
As stated above, Sri Lanka is filled with many tourist attractions. According to Travel Triangle, here are some of the places that one should visit in Sri Lanka.
One of the many is the Dambulla Cave Temple which is also known as the largest temple complex in Sri Lanka. There are five chambers in the temple complex, each with a varied size and a different posture of the serene-looking Buddha.
The dark rocky mountain that the temple is situated atop creates a pleasing contrast with the white walls of the building.
Besides that, the temple also has paintings and sculptures that date back to the 12th Century AD.
Another place that one should not miss is Arugam Bay. This place is heaven for all the adrenaline junkies out there.
Filled with slanting coconut trees and a beautiful blue sky above your head, this place is the best place to have a coconut shake while tanning your skin under the sun and having a relaxing time. It is also one of the best places if you wish to surf in the turquoise sea.
One should also not miss the Galle which is a 16th Century marvel. Galle is a major city in Sri Lanka and a one-stop shop where you may experience all there has to offer.
The Galle Fort is among the top destinations in Sri Lanka. There are several restaurants and cafés along the broad cobblestoned paths in the Galle Fort neighbourhood.
If you have time, try to see the sunset. You may explore a variety of galleries and trinket stores.
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