Sri Lanka plans to up its tourism game

Sri Lanka is speeding up plans to introduce free visas for visitors from up to 40 countries as the island nation looks to correct a slowdown in tourist arrivals linked to ongoing Middle East tensions and disrupted air travel.

Foreign Affairs and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath confirmed the free electronic travel authorization (ETA) scheme is set to be finalized and submitted to Cabinet, with parliamentary approval targeted this month, travel news hub Travel Mole reported.

The move comes as Sri Lanka grapples with a dip in inbound travel.

Authorities report a 15% decline in arrivals, which they link with regional instability, which has impacted flight routes, increased airfares, and triggered cancellations - particularly on Europe-Asia corridors.

Between March 1 and 25, Sri Lanka welcomed 151,693 visitors, down 22% year-on-year.

Average daily arrivals fell to 6,068, compared to 7,407 during the same period in 2025.

Seven countries - including China, India, Japan, and Russia - already benefit from free ETA access.

The new proposal would extend the waiver to an additional 33 countries, including major European markets, the United States, Australia, and Gulf states.

Image: Aleksei Popov, Scop.io 

Politics impacts on declining US travel numbers

Members of the US travel industry are starting to discover the damage to visitor numbers caused by their country's increasingly erratic leadership.

Inbound travel to the US this year is expected to fall for the first time since 2020, a recent report from the US Travel Association reveals.

The report says inbound visits are projected to fall 6.3% to 67.9 million - which is just 85% of 2019 pre-Covid levels.

That is a significant drop from the group’s previous forecast in January, which projected an 8.8% increase to 78.8 million visits during 2025.

The Travel Forecast projected minimal growth in travel spending for 2025 and a significant decline in international inbound travel, which is a critical driver of the US economy, jobs and global influence.

While domestic travel is holding steady, the continued decline in international visitors threatens billions in spending and thousands of jobs, travel news hub Skift reported.

"The next decade can be one of extraordinary growth, but only if we act decisively." the organisation said. "Outdated systems, excessive visa wait times and new travel deterrents are driving global visitors elsewhere. 

"The US must lead by modernizing travel infrastructure, streamlining entry processes and sending a clear message: America is open for business.”

By "travel deterrents", the US Travel Association probably means the increased hassles and potential turnarounds visitors to the US face for "misdemeanours" as inconsequential as social media posts critical of US president Donald Trump.

Potential visitors may be also be made uncomfortable by Trunp's loud "America First" ethos, and by the growing presence of masked ICE offers and armed military personnel on city streets.

The association says: "Travel is one of the most dynamic industries in the world, a powerful engine of economic growth that supports nearly one in 10 American jobs, contributes $2.9 trillion to GDP and provides opportunities for millions of Americans.

"Beyond economic impact, travel fosters social cohesion, strengthens cultural understanding and enriches lives by boosting health, resilience and lifelong learning."

Visits are predicted to drop from 72.4 million in 2024 to 67.9 million in 2025 - the first decline since 2020 - before rebounding with major events in 2026, including the World Cup.

# The US Travel Association is the national, non-profit organization representing the $US1.3 trillion travel industry. US Travel produces programs and insights and advocates for policies to increase travel to and within the United States. Visit ustravel.org for more info.

Image: Dominik Gehl, Scop.io

Overseas visitors still turning their back on the US

Overseas tourist arrivals to the United States continue to slump.

Apparently people from many other countries just don't like Donald Trump very much.

June preliminary figures from the US government show visitation from overseas substantially down, news hub Travel Mole reports,

The trend is due to a combination of factors including geopolitical turbulence, economic difficulties and a degraded image of the country in the eyes of many potential travellers, it reported.

Preliminary numbers released by the National Travel and Tourism Office saw visits from overseas to the US down by -3.4% year-over-year.

With 2.8 million overseas travellers in June, the figure represents only 80% of 2019 levels. The overseas figure excludes visitors from Canada and Mexico.

From the 20 top inbound markets, 11 showed a decline in June. Ecuador, South Korea, and Australia showed the most significant declines with respective drops of -14.1%, -10.7% and -10.2%.

Arrivals from Western Europe - a top inbound region for the US - were also down by 2.5% in June.

All Scandinavian countries recorded a double-digit decline but the US did receive more visitors from Italy (up 3.4%) and Spain (up 2.1%).

The most resilient region in June was Latin America (excluding Mexico). Central American arrivals posted a growth of 6.8% while South American visitors were up by 2.1%.

In contrast to the general trend, Argentina and Brazil posted respective gains of 15.6% and 18.6%.