The pilot project of granting visa-free entry to Sri Lanka for visitors from seven countries will be extended until April 30, 2024, Minister of Tourism Harin Fernando said.

Posting on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), the Minister further explained that a final decision regarding the matter will be taken during the next few weeks of the pilot project.

In October 2023, the Cabinet of Ministers approved visa-free entry for visitors from seven countries – India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand as a pilot project until 31 March 2024.

Earlier, the Tourism Minister had stated that the purpose of exempting tourists from many countries from visas is to “attract more tourists to Sri Lanka. “Accordingly, it is expected to increase tourist arrivals to five million over the coming years”, according to the minister.