Amidst a visa crisis, Sri Lanka has revised its April tourist arrival figures upwards, responding to the controversy surrounding a high-priced visa scheme managed by a private contractor. Industry insiders claim this scheme has complicated the application process.
Initially, tourist data up to April 28 suggested lower numbers. The revised figures still show fewer arrivals compared to the first half of April, albeit not as drastically.
The tourist office stated that the increase in arrivals was due to updates in visa categories introduced by the Department of Immigration and Emigration.
For instance, previously reported figures for April 27 showed 3,995 arrivals and 2,888 for April 28. However, the revised data revealed 5,757 arrivals for April 27 and 4,054 for April 28.
Overall, April arrivals saw a 41 percent increase from the previous year, totaling 148,867 visitors. Despite this growth, there are concerns that Sri Lanka may not reach its 2024 target of 2.3 million visitors due to the expensive and complex visa system managed by a private operator.
April marks the beginning of a lean season, compounded by factors such as the Indian elections affecting tourist numbers.
Tourism Minister Harin Fernando announced plans to remove price floors, which were previously imposed to protect certain city hotels. This move aims to enhance Sri Lanka's competitiveness compared to East Asia.
Additionally, the high costs of hotel construction in Sri Lanka, attributed to import duties aimed at safeguarding politically influential building material companies, further exacerbate the situation.
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