Tourism earnings pass $ 2 b in 2017

Sri Lanka has earned over $ 2 billion from tourism this year with steady growth in numbers, the Central Bank said yesterday.  

Earnings from tourism increased to $ 2,086.1 million during the first seven months of the year compared to $ 2,013.5 million during the same period in 2016, the latest data showed.

Tourist arrivals declined by 1.8%, year-on-year, in July 2017, with 205,482 tourists arriving during the month. However, on a cumulative basis, tourist arrivals recorded an increase of 3.6% to 1,215,926, during the first seven months of 2017 compared to the corresponding period of 2016. 

The top five sources of tourist arrivals during the first seven months of 2017 were India, China, the UK, Germany and France, accounting for 51.4% of the total tourist arrivals during this period. 

Following the trend in tourist arrivals, earnings from tourism also recorded a decline in July 2017. Accordingly, earnings from tourism amounted to $ 352.5 million during the month, while cumulative earnings from tourism increased to $ 2,086.1 million during the first seven months of the year compared to $ 2,013.5 million during the same period in 2016.