Tourist arrivals surge in first 20 days of November

Monday, 25 November 2024 02:48 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka’s tourism industry continues to thrive, with 120,961 tourist arrivals recorded in the first 20 days of November, marking a 17% year-on-year (YoY) increase compared to the same period a year ago.

This brings the year-to-date (YTD) total to over 1.74 million visitors positioning the country to achieve its annual target of two million arrivals by the year end.

Average daily arrivals in November have risen to 6,048 tourists per day – a 17% jump from the 5,170 daily average registered in the first 20 days of October 2024.

However, to meet the monthly target of 198,069 arrivals, Sri Lanka must attract an average of 7,711 tourists daily for the remainder of the month.

India remains the largest source market contributing 26,717 tourists in the first 20 days of November. Russia follows with 20,157 visitors, while Germany with 9,444, UK with 7,715 and Australia with 4,762 visitors round out the top five.

YTD, India also leads with 349,690 arrivals followed by Russia with 157,756 and the UK with 154,385 tourists.

The return of charter flights including services by Red Wings, Enter Air, Edelweiss and Air Azur is expected to support further growth through the winter season which ends in March 2025. These charters provide vital direct connectivity particularly for Eastern European travellers.

Adding to the momentum, Jetstar launched its Colombo-Singapore direct route positioning itself as the only low-cost carrier (LCC) connecting the two cities.

Jetstar Asia CEO John Simeone expressed optimism in the new route’s ability to boost regional connectivity, attract travellers from diverse markets including Australia and contribute to Sri Lanka’s tourism growth.

With the peak winter season underway, industry champions are optimistic that the country will surpass its targets.