Sri Lanka draws over 85,000 tourists in first half of July, boosting YTD arrivals to nearly 1.1 m

Sri Lanka has registered a significant increase in tourist arrivals, with over 85,000 visitors welcomed in the first 14 days of July, bringing the total number close to 1.1 million so far in 2024.

The surge in arrivals can be largely attributed to the Dawoodi Bohra International Convention held in Colombo, which concluded yesterday.

In the first 14 days of the month, a total of 85,426 visitors were received, pushing the year-to-date (YTD) arrivals to 1,095,675.

In the first week of July, the country saw 43,083 tourists, followed by 42,343 in the second week, totalling 85,426 visitors by mid-July. 

The average daily arrivals for the first two weeks of July stood at 6,102. 

India emerged as the top source market so far in July, contributing 23,498 tourists, followed by the UK with 7,703 and China with 5,317. Other notable source markets included Germany, Australia, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, the US, and Canada.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) expects a total footfall of 220,950 visitors for July.

India remained the leading source of tourists for the year, with 207,966 arrivals, followed by Russia with 116,019 and the UK with 97,055. 

Sri Lanka Tourism aims to attract over 2.3 million tourists and generate more than $ 4 billion in foreign exchange earnings in 2024, marking a strong recovery and growth in the tourism sector.