Sri Lanka travel trade promised private visa levies would be lifted from May

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ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Tourism Minister Harin Fernando had given an assurance that steep surcharges and levies on visa fees that were imposed with a shift to a private company would be reversed from May 01, a top travel official said.

Sri Lanka’s 50 dollar visa fee went up to 75 dollars and another 18.5 dollar fee and an apparently hidden ‘convenience fee’ of 5 dollars or more were also hit on prospective travellers after a shift of the island’s acclaimed ETA system to a private company.

“We have now been assured by the Hon Minister of Tourism that the process will be reversed by 1st May 2024,” President of the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) Nishad Wijethunga said.

SAARC Visa fees went up as much as 58.55 US dollars from 35 after the electronic travel authorization was outsourced to a private company called VFS Global.

If Sri Lanka meets the planned tourism target of 2.3 million in 2024, the private levy amounts to 12.75 billion rupees. It is not clear to whom the 5 dollar plus convenience fee goes to. (Colombo/Apr25/2024)

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[[{“value”:” ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Tourism Minister Harin Fernando had given an assurance that steep surcharges and levies on visa fees that were imposed with…

[[{“value”:” ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Tourism Minister Harin Fernando had given an assurance that steep surcharges and levies on visa fees that were imposed with…