December records highest arrivals as SL ends 2023 with 1.48 m tourists

• Narrowly misses annual target of 1.5 m by 0.85%
• Exceeds 1.45 m mark after a lapse of 3 years, showcasing YoY growth of 106.6% 
• The daily arrival average rises from 5,070 in November to 6,786 in December 
• December arrivals were up by 128.7% YoY but managed to realise only 87% of 242,135 monthly target 
• 2023 performance is still down 36.5% compared to benchmark year 2018 and 22.5% against 2019
• Tourism earnings for 2023 exceeds $ 2 b mark
• SLTDA aims for 2.5 m tourists, anticipates revenue to reach $ 4.6 b in 2024

By Charumini de Silva

In a noteworthy feat, December marked the highest tourist arrivals, propelling Sri Lanka’s total visitors to 1.48 million visitors in 2023 — just shy of the annual target by a mere 0.85%. 

For the first time since the Easter Sunday attacks, the country surpassed the 1.45 million tourist arrival mark, showcasing a remarkable year-on-year (YoY) growth of 106.6% compared to 2022.

Although the authorities projected 242,135 arrivals in December, the realised figure only reached 87% of the target. However, the daily arrival average reached a new milestone, soaring to 6,786 from 5,070 in November 2023. 

The last instance of Sri Lanka crossing the 200,000 tourist arrival milestone was in December 2019. 

Despite the significant achievement, the 2023 performance is 36.5% lower than the record of 2.3 million in the benchmark year 2018 and 22.5% lower than 2019.

India retained its position as the single biggest market including 302,844 tourists (21%) of total arrivals in 2023, followed by the Russian Federation with 197,498 (13%), the UK with 130,088 (9%), Germany with 102,539 (7%) and China with 68,789 (5%).

It is believed that tourism earnings for 2023 have also surpassed $ 2 billion mark. In 2022, Sri Lanka’s tourism earnings were at $ 1.13 billion. 

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) sets an ambitious target of 2.5 million tourists and aims to generate $ 4.6 billion in revenue for the year 2024.

It also anticipates a further boost in tourist arrivals from India, Russia and Europe till the end of the winter season or the end of March 2024 as more charter flights resume services and international airlines expand their frequencies.