Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals hit record high in 2017 with increased arrivals in December
Tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka hit a record high in 2017, with the number of foreign visitors in December rising 8.8% year-on-year to an all-time monthly peak of 244,536, Reuters news agency has stated.
Tourist arrivals rose 3.2% to 2.1 million in 2017, government data has reportedly shown on Friday. Tourist arrivals in 2016 rose 14% to 2.05 million, which was also an all-time high. Revenue in 2016 increased to an all-time high of US$ 3.4 billion, beating the previous record of US$ 2.98 billion in 2015, Central Bank data showed. Industry analysts expect revenue in 2017 to surpass the previous year’s record as income from foreign tourists in the first 11 months of last year was more than the same period in the previous year.
Tourism accounts for nearly 5% of Sri Lanka’s US$ 81 billion economy.
OSL take:
Reaching the 2.1 million tourist arrivals mark in 2017 is a great feat for Sri Lanka’s tourism industry. The sector is poised for further growth with the Tourism Ministry looking at several aggressive overseas campaigns including international road shows targeting a boost in the island nation’s tourism industry. The increase in tourist arrivals along with the overall growth in the tourism industry indicates the opening up of many investment opportunities in the sector.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20180116/Z_3 |