02 September,2010 12:42 PM IST | | AFP
Sri Lanka has scrapped visa on arrival for all nationals except those from the Maldives and Singapore, an official said Friday, in a move which could damage the country's revived tourist industry.
"The existing visa regime of granting landing endorsements on arrival for tourists will be withdrawn with effect from the 30th of September 2010," said Controller General of Immigration W.A.C. Perera.
Perera said that visitors from Singapore and the Maldives, which grant Sri Lankan passport holders visa on arrival, would be exempted.
Sri Lanka has granted foreign tourists a 30-day visa on arrival since the 1970s as part of a move to promote tourism, which was badly affected by the island's 37-year ethnic conflict.
The local tourism industry has been buoyed by a near 50 percent increase in foreign visitors since fighting ended in May last year.
Sri Lanka hopes to double the number of visiting tourists this year to 600,000.
