Tourist arrivals hit post-COVID all-time high in February

A tourist in the city posing for a picture whilst opting to quench thirst arising from the on-going heat-wave with a King Coconut  - Pic by Pradeep Pathirana

• Latest month marks hat-trick of over 200,000 visitors
• Tourism Minister Harin Fernando says earnings during first two months over $ 710 m
• February draws 218,350, pushing cumulative figure to 426,603 
• Uptick linked to improved connectivity, promotional efforts 
• Daily average arrivals in February increased to 7,529, from 6,717 in January 
• Data reflects 103% YoY growth, but still 7.3% lower than benchmark year 2018
• Sri Lanka Tourism falls short of monthly target for second consecutive month
• Russia emerges as top contributor, followed by India, UK, Germany, China
• India maintains its position as top tourist source market YTD, followed by Russia, UK, Germany, China

By Charumini de Silva

Tourist arrivals in February have hit a post-COVID all-time high of 218,350 whilst pushing the cumulative figure to 426,603 setting a positive start for the year.

Sri Lanka welcomed over 200,000 tourists for three consecutive months, marking a hat trick. February arrivals also set a new benchmark, beating the previous high of 210,352 recorded in December since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020. 

The data reflects a sharp growth of 103% year-on-year (YoY), largely influenced by the winter season travel, enhanced connectivity and service from more airlines and growing traveller confidence following promotions. Nevertheless, the performance in February is still 7.3% lower compared to the 235,618 in the benchmark year 2018.  “As per Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), earnings from the sector during the first two months estimated over $ 710 million. It is a significant leapfrog from where the industry was post-COVID and other crises. I hope this momentum will continue and be a record-breaking 2024,” Tourism Minister Harin Fernando told the Daily FT. 

In February, an average of 7,529 tourists arrived in the country daily, as against the 6,717 daily average in January 2024. 

However, Sri Lanka Tourism failed to achieve the set monthly target of 238,614 in February marking the second consecutive month.

The first week of February saw 52,361 tourists and the trend picked up in the second and third weeks to 55,537 and 52,266 respectively, whilst peaking during the fourth week with 58,186 visitors.

Russia dominated arrivals in February securing the top source market for Sri Lanka with 32,030 tourists, followed by India with 30,027, UK with 20,614, Germany with 16,259 and China with 14,836. In addition, tourists were also received from countries such as France, Poland, Australia, US and Netherlands.

For 2024, Sri Lanka Tourism has set an ambitious target to welcome 2.3 million tourists and earn over $ 4.5 billion.

India maintains its position as the top tourist source market for Sri Lanka year-to-date (YTD), with a cumulative total of 64,426 arrivals, followed by Russia with 63,189, UK with 37,279, Germany with 29,852 and China with 26,347 arrivals.