Sri Lanka records over 200,000 tourist arrivals so far this year and surpasses entire arrivals of 2021
Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka have recorded over 200,000 so far this year surpassing the total tourist arrivals of 194,495 received for the entirety of 2021. The highest number of tourists to Sri Lanka has arrived from Russia.
According to reports, the number of tourist arrivals recorded so far this year has also been recorded as the highest number of tourists received by the country post-pandemic.
Provisional data released by Sri Lanka’s Tourism Ministry has noted that 200,798 travellers have arrived from 1 January to 6 March this year.
Sri Lanka’s Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has reportedly stated that despite the challenges posed by the global COVID pandemic as well as the unrest in Eastern Europe, it was a significant achievement by Sri Lanka to be recognised as a safe and secure destination.
Provisional data of Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has noted that 21,964 tourists have arrived in the country during the first six days of March and that Sri Lanka had received 82,327 tourists in January and 96,507 in February — the highest number of tourists visiting the country in a month after two years.
Interestingly, Russia continues to be the top source market to Sri Lanka with 31,912 despite the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, India topped the tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka in March with 4,395 tourists, followed by Russia with 3,094, Germany 2,240 and 969 from France.
“Sri Lanka is currently focusing on new tourism markets,” the Minister has been quoted as saying, adding that attention has been drawn to a number of countries which had not previously promoted Sri Lanka as a tourist destination and special promotion programs have been planned on targeting those countries.
OSL take:
The steady increase in tourist arrivals to the country is indicative of the growing business potential in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry. Sri Lanka has received much exposure in the international media as a must visit destination and as one of the Top 10 island destinations. Many international airlines have increased flight operations to Sri Lanka showing a growth in tourist arrivals to the country. All these have expanded the business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry, especially in the leisure and hospitality sectors. With Sri Lanka fast developing as a growing business destination, many international hospitality brands have expressed interest in investing in Sri Lanka. Given the positive movements in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry, foreign businesses/investors could confidently explore the growing opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/18032022/Z_3 |