Government officials have failed to reach a consensus on the immediate implementation of the single-chop visa policy, which was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on Monday, creating uncertainty about the future of the country’s tourism industry.
During a meeting chaired by Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake, the rollout of the revised visa policy, which was expected to benefit 38 countries, encountered obstacles due to bureaucratic disagreements and legal uncertainties. The meeting included representatives from the Foreign Ministry, Tourism Ministry, Public Security Ministry, Attorney General’s Department, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau, Department of Immigration and Emigration, and SLT-Mobitel.
According to the Daily FT, Department of Immigration and Emigration Controller General Harsha Ilukpitiya expressed reluctance to implement the policy, citing unresolved issues and potential conflicts with existing regulations. The newspaper also reported that despite the need to secure winter bookings and ease congestion at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), SLT-Mobitel offered to extend its Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system services free of charge. However, the Controller General opposed the proposal.
The report further indicated that the Immigration Controller General argued that current procedural documents conflict with the immediate activation of the new system, resulting in a standoff that remains unresolved.
Meanwhile, August saw a significant drop in tourist arrivals, marking the largest shortfall of the year, according to data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority. Despite a 20.7% year-on-year (YoY) increase, with 164,609 arrivals, the figure fell 38,298 short of the forecasted 202,907 arrivals for the month. Previously, the largest shortfall was 35,225 arrivals recorded in June, during the height of the visa controversy.
During the first two weeks of August, the daily arrival rate was a healthy average of 6,545 per day. However, this trend sharply declined in the last two weeks, dropping to a low of 2,804 arrivals on August 28. As a result, the daily average in August stood at 5,310, compared to 6,058 in July.
India continued to be the leading source of arrivals in August, with 33,031 visitors, followed by 17,587 from the UK and 11,333 from China. Germany and Italy ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, while Russia returned to the top 10 list with 4,351 arrivals.
