Sri Lanka has deferred its visa-on-arrival scheme for a temporary time period in the wake of recent serial bombings. The scheme was put on hold a couple of days after the serial bombings that took place on Easter Sunday where over 290 people were killed.
Sri Lanka is one of the most beautiful and picturesque island nations which can be visited even on a budget. Earlier they had announced that tourists from 39 countries, including India, would be able to get their hands on free visas on arrival scheme between May to October. The move was expected to boost tourism to the island nation during the off-season. But since the bombings and due to security concerns the plan has now been put on hold.
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Indian tourists who now wish to travel to Sri Lanka will have to apply for an e-visa, also called the electronic travel authorisation. The e-visa costs $65 or Rs 4,500, which takes about 24 hours to activate and will allow you to stay for 30 days.
Sri Lanka is currently under a nationwide state of Emergency. However, its tourism board maintains that the country is open to business and tourism, and travellers will not be inconvenienced.