The Sri Lankan government announced visa-free access to citizens from 35 countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and India to the island nation for six months.
The Sri Lankan Cabinet decision on this will be effective from October 1, the Daily Mirror reported, quoting Adviser to the Ministry of Tourism, Harin Fernando.
The policy is for six months, Fernando said.
The other countries on the list include the UK, China, the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Australia, Denmark, Poland, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, France, Canada, the Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Israel, Belarus, Iran, Sweden, South Korea, Qatar, Oman and New Zealand also figure in the list, PTI reported.
Earlier, controversy surrounded increased fees for on-arrival visas in Sri Lanka, which were being handled by a foreign company.
Visitors from India, China, Russia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia received tourist visas free of charge to the country.
