The Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Thailand, Wijayanthi Edirisinghe, said that the Thai-Sri Lankan Free Trade Agreement will be implemented soon after the Sri Lankan government reviews it again. She told that the SLTFTA, leading to the FTA, was signed in February 2024 and received Cabinet Approval. “The new government is reviewing it, and it will soon be implemented.” She said that it would increase trade and bring more Thai investors to Sri Lanka once implemented.
Sri Lanka has Free Trade Agreements with countries like India and Pakistan, and Thai manufacturers could use these to get tax benefits when investing in and re-exporting from Sri Lanka. She also said that today, Thai Airways flights are daily to Sri Lanka along with Thai Air Asia and SriLankan, and this good connectivity is also a plus point for investing in Sri Lanka. Currently, bilateral trade between the two countries is around USD 438 million, with the trade balance favoring Thailand. Sri Lanka’s exports were USD 124 million, showing an increase. She also said that, thanks to several promotions by airlines, Sri Lanka tourism, the government, and the embassy, Thai arrivals to Sri Lanka are increasing.
“There was a dip in arrivals after the COVID pandemic and the Easter Sunday attacks. Today, the figure is around 7,000, and by the end of 2025, it will pass the pre-COVID mark of 10,000. She also thanked Thai Airways for actively promoting Sri Lanka as a destination. The ambassador said that with Thailand imposing the ‘Free Visa Arrival’ policy, one can observe more Sri Lankan arrivals to Thailand.
