Two of UAE's largest communities can visit Sri Lanka with free visa

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Sri Lanka, free visa, vacation, Eid Al Adha

Planning a quick vacation from Dubai? Here's a destination.

By Web Report

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Published: Thu 8 Aug 2019, 6:46 PM

Last updated: Fri 9 Aug 2019, 8:58 AM

In case you are planning for a beach vacation and haven't booked your tickets, here's something that might interest you.

Recently, the government of Sri Lanka announced the launch of the free visa on arrival facility to citizens of 48 countries, from August 1 for a period of six months. In the list of countries are India and the Philippines. Citizens from these two countries form among the largest communities in the UAE.

The move is a step by the island country to woo back visitors after militant attacks on Easter Sunday.

Daesh on April 21 bombed churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka, killing more than 250 people, including 42 foreign nationals.

Several countries then issued travel advisories, undermining the crucial tourism industry. Foreign visitor arrivals in May fell 70.8 per cent, the lowest since the end of Sri Lanka's civil war a decade ago.

A government document seen by Reuters showed the cabinet had agreed to scrap tourist visas, which typically cost $20 to $40 and are applied for online or at Sri Lankan embassies and consulates. Visa-free entry will be available to 48 nations, including China, India, and the United Kingdom.

Here's the complete list of countries:

Sr. No.Country
1Austria
2Australia
3Belgium
4Bulgaria
5Canada
6Cambodia
7China
8Croatia
9Cyprus
10Czech Republic
11Denmark
12Estonia
13Finland
14France
15Germany
16Greece
17Hungary
18India
19Indonesia
20Iceland
21Ireland
22Israel
23Italy
24Japan
25Latvia
26Lithuania
27Luxembourg
28Malaysia
29Malta
30Netherlands
31New Zealand
32Norway
33Philippines
34Poland
35Portugal
36Romania
37Russia
38Singapore
39South Korea
40Slovak Republic
41Slovenia
42Spain
43Sweden
44Switzerland
45Thailand
46Ukraine
47United Kingdom
48United States of America
Source: SriLankan Airlines


With inputs from Reuters


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