Sri Lanka draws over 300,000 tourists so far in 2024

Wednesday, 14 February 2024 00:30 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Tourism Minister Harin Fernando

Tourism Minister Harin Fernando confirms first 12 days of February arrivals nears 92,000 on top of 208,253 in January
Says boost in arrivals reaching nearly 100,000 within first half of the month signifies an upward trend for industry
Daily average arrivals pick up to 7,656 tourists compared to 6,717 in January
Russia tops tourist traffic generator so far in February, but India run over Russia as biggest source market YTD

Sri Lanka’s year-to-date (YTD) tourist arrivals crossed the 300,000 mark with nearly 92,000 visitors received during the first 12 days of February.

“Total arrivals in the first 12 days of February have exceeded 91,000, reflecting a sharp increase compared to the same period last year,” Tourism Minister Harin Fernando told the Daily FT.

He said the uptick in arrivals, reaching nearly 100,000 within the first half of the month, signifies a positive trend for the industry, instilling optimism.

Sri Lanka welcomed 52,361 in the first week and 31,850 in the last four days of this week of February, the provisional data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority showed.

During the first 11 days of February, Sri Lanka welcomed a total of 84,211 visitors compared to 28,179 received during the first 14 days in 2023.

It also showed that the daily average arrivals have picked up to 7,656 in February so far, a stark increase compared to last year as well as to January which stood at 6,717.

Russia topped the tourist inflow, reflecting 14% or 11,939, closely followed by India with 11,568, UK with 8,038, China with 6,521 and Germany with 5,843 tourists. Tourists were also received from France, Poland, Australia, US and Netherlands were also welcomed in Sri Lanka during the first 11 days.

India maintains its position as the top tourist source market for Sri Lanka YTD, with a cumulative total of 45,967 followed by Russia with 43,098 and UK with 24,703.

With January arrivals breaking the 200,000 mark for the second consecutive month after a four-year hiatus, Sri Lanka’s tourism industry started 2024 on a positive note.

Tourism earnings in January were at $ 341.8 million, reflecting a 122.7% increase year-on-year, as per the latest Central Bank data released. Even in a month-on-month comparison, January earnings are 27% higher than December 2023.

It is the highest earnings registered in January since the Easter Sunday attacks in 2019.