Sri Lanka to introduce Visa-Free Entry Policy for SAARC countries – A way forward towards regional integration

SAARC | Image Credit : Tiger7253, SAARC Summit Boycott 2016, CC BY-SA 4.0

After the end of the civil war that lasted for more than three decades, Sri Lanka showed promising results of economic development. In recent years, Sri Lanka was gradually emerging as one of the world’s greatest tourist hotspots. In 2018, more than 1.3 million tourists have visited the country with China, England and India being the leading markets. Foreseeing the potential growth of tourism industry, the government of Sri Lanka has taken steps to re-introduce the ‘visa-free entry policy’ for all SAARC countries since at present the visa-free arrival is only offered to tourists from Maldives, Singapore, and Nepal. Tourists visiting the country will come across numerous architectural wonders, mesmeric beaches, historic attractions and a plethora of accommodation options like Heritance tea Factory which offers some of the best Nuwara Eliya hotel deals.