• 12,431 tourists in first week of Nov. push YTD arrivals to 580,689
• Russia, India, UK among top source markets

 Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka have exceeded the 580,000 mark, with 12,431 travellers arriving in the country during the first week of the month. 

As per provisional data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) yesterday, a total of 580,689 visitors arrived so far.

During the first week of November, Russia topped the tourist inflow with 3,343, followed by India with 1,813, and the UK with 1,029, Germany with 921, Australia with 623, Maldives with 468, Canada with 408, US with 365, France with 291, and Poland with 223 travellers were welcomed in Sri Lanka.

The daily average arrivals have slightly picked up to 1,710 during the first week of November, compared to 1,231 in October. November’s first five-seven arrivals also showed an uptick of 44% compared to 8,641 tourists in the corresponding period in October.

Despite the multiple challenges, Sri Lanka’s tourism industry looks to be in high season, as they ramp up efforts to achieve the set targets and boost foreign exchange inflows to overcome the economic woes.

Earnings from tourism from January to October amounted to $ 1.02 billion reflecting a 546% increase from the corresponding period of last year impacted by COVID-19, latest data released by the Central Bank showed.

Sri Lanka on show at World Travel Market London