Tourist arrivals rise in June, surpasses 1 million target in 1H 2017

• First six months tourist arrivals rose by 4.8% to 1.01 million
• India tops arrivals by 4.7%, while China dips to 13.8%
• Western Europe arrivals rose by 12.3% including the UK, Germany and Spain      

 Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals rose by 4.5% to 123,351 in June, from a year earlier, while also surpassing the 1 million tourist arrivals target for the country within the first half of 2017, Government data released yesterday showed.

The data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) showed that in the first six months tourist arrivals rose by 4.8% to 1.01 million compared to the same period last year, continuing the growth momentum despite the partial airport closure and recent adverse weather conditions hurting the sector.

When totalling the arrival figures for the first half of the year, Sri Lanka’s biggest market was neighbouring India, which recorded 172,894 arrivals, followed by China 134,744, Britain 95,922, Germany 67,631 and France 50,961.

However, last month showed mixed results as arrivals from India rose by 4.7% to 27,068; but East Asian tourist arrivals dropped by 5.7% to 28,643, with China down by 13.8% to 17,205 in June. 

Tourists from Western Europe rose by 12.3% to 33,228, with UK arrivals up 10.8%, Germany up 28.6%, Spain 44.1% and Netherlands 40.2%. However, visitors from France dipped by 8% to 3,365.

Eastern European arrivals dipped by 18.3% to 3,865 with Russia down 36% to 1,029 and Ukraine down 26.9% to 552. 

Tourism accounts for close to 5% of Sri Lanka’s GDP. Tourist arrivals and revenue hit record highs in 2016, with annual arrivals jumping 14% to a record 2.05 million and earning about $ 3.5 billion, according to the Central Bank.