img#mv-trellis-img-1::before{padding-top:66.666666666667%; }img#mv-trellis-img-1{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-2::before{padding-top:100%; }img#mv-trellis-img-2{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-3::before{padding-top:100%; }img#mv-trellis-img-3{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-4::before{padding-top:100%; }img#mv-trellis-img-4{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-5::before{padding-top:100%; }img#mv-trellis-img-5{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-6::before{padding-top:100%; }img#mv-trellis-img-6{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-7::before{padding-top:100%; }img#mv-trellis-img-7{display:block;}Since eVisas, ETAS, and stricter entry requirements became the norm, it’s been a considerably trickier world to navigate as an American traveler.
That’s why we rolled out the new free-to-use, 1-minute Travel Off Path Entry Requirement Checker to make planning a trip abroad a lot easier for you, but we digress.
Now, if you are a U.S. citizen, you can no longer just grab your passport and ‘wing it’ at the airport: if you’re flying to London, for instance, you will need pre-authorization to board your flight, and that could take a few days to process.
Fortunately, it’s not all doom and gloom:
Not that long ago, Turkey fully scrapped eVisas for Americans, and at least 11 other European countries have confirmed they will not be bringing in digital entry permits.
They’re not the only ones going against the current: this trendy Asian country known for its lush nature, beautiful coastal villages, and epic adventures is also making travel less complicated, for once:
Sri Lanka Is Scrapping The ETA Fee
An island country just south of the Indian mainland, Sri Lanka has been quickly rising in popularity as an ‘alt’, offbeat destination for Asia-bound travelers, and it looks set to attract even more tourists with the promise of an ETA fee waiver.
The country is often referenced in tandem with digital nomads, who have been flocking there, drawn to the cheap cost of living and tropical weather, but it’s proved to be equally popular with vacationers:
From the vibrant capital city of Colombo, dotted with Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial landmarks, to the famous train rides, especially from Kandy to Ella, passing breathtaking, jungle-clad landscapes, to the beautiful national parks, there’s plenty to see and do.
On the other hand, there have been just two main issues facing Sri Lanka when it comes to tourism growth:
What Is Hampering Sri Lanka’s Tourism Growth?
First of all, it is quite remote, with limited flight connectivity traveling to and from most Western destinations—when it comes to the United States, most routes would connect in Europe or the Middle East due to the absence of nonstop flights.
Secondly, it has historically enacted a stricter border policy compared to other South Asian countries.
When traveling to Sri Lanka, Americans must apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), regardless of whether they’re entering for short-term tourism or transiting.
This typically involves filling out a form online, and if you’ve ever applied for one of these permits while traveling around Asia, you will know that Government websites are far from being user-friendly and will often crash, forcing you to restart your lengthy application.
For that reason, many travelers opt to apply via a third party that handles all permit requests, like VFS Global, and this can increase the cost of an e-Visa or ETA significantly:
The standard fee for a 30-day Sri Lanka ETA is currently $50. Add to that convenience fees (typically around $5), and if you’re applying via a third-party service like VFS Global, another $18.50. You could be paying upwards of $60 just for an authorization to fly.
Americans Will Be Exempt From Paying To Travel!
This week, Sri Lanka made an unexpected announcement.
After months of deliberation and taking feedback from travel partners, local authorities will finally lift the visa fee, the main deterrent for budget travelers visiting Sri Lanka, for foreign citizens of at least 40 countries, including the United States.
According to Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath, tourists from the U.S., as well as the U.K., Canada, Germany, the UAE, and Australia will soon be able to travel to Sri Lanka without paying the hefty ETA fee.
Mr Herath hopes this will send a clear message that Sri Lanka is ‘open for business‘, amid an increasingly bureaucratic world.
This does not mean you won’t need to apply for an ETA: once the change is implemented, you may still need to complete the form and submit your information prior to travel. However, you won’t have to shell out between $50 and $60, or even more, depending on the visa category and secondary fees.
That is yet to be confirmed by Sri Lankan officials.
When Will The Exemption Start Applying?
So when will it go live?
To be enacted, the new border policy requires clearance from the Attorney General’s office. Unlike last year, when the proposal was initially touted, the expectation is that approval will be ‘quick and straightforward‘.
You may be exempt from paying ETA fees when traveling to Sri Lanka from as early as this fall, although we are awaiting confirmation from the Sri Lankan Government on this matter.
The country’s rather ambitious goal is to attract 3 million visitors by year’s end, which would be record-breaking for a small Asian island typically overlooked by Westerners: last year, they hosted 2.05 million tourists.
If they’re serious about the objective, they probably won’t take long before cutting the unnecessary red tape.
What Have Industry Officials Said?
As stated by Malik J. Fernando, chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance, the failure to ‘properly position’ Sri Lanka as a competitive destination in Asia is doing ‘real harm’ to local economies, directly contributing to lower foreign investment and room occupation.
Be that as it may, he went on to say that, ‘if a traveler chooses Sri Lanka primarily because of a waived visa fee’ in the near future, that, too, reflects a failure on the Government’s part: ‘we haven’t communicated why the destination is truly special’.
In his view, the decision to visit should be driven by Sri Lanka’s ‘extraordinary offerings‘, not exclusively a minor cost saving.
So far this year, Sri Lanka has logged in 1.3 million tourists arrivals, a 4% increase over the same period last year.
Vinicius CostaVini, our senior lead writer at Travel Off Path, has over 60+ countries under his belt (and currently weaving tales from Paris!), and a knack for turning off-the-beaten-path experiences into informative stories that will have you packing your bags.
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