Tourist arrivals top 1.8 m mark with November boost

Tuesday, 3 December 2024 03:13 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Welcomes 184,158 tourists in Nov., up 22% YoY and 36% M-o-M
YTD arrivals at
1.8 m, but still down by 23% compared to benchmark year 2018
Daily average arrivals pick up to 6,139 from 5,050 in Oct.
Sri Lanka needs to woo nearly 195,200 visitors in Dec. to achieve 2 m target by year end
India leads source markets in Nov. followed by Russia and UK

Charumini de Silva

Sri Lanka’s tourism sector achieved a key milestone, surpassing 1.8 million arrivals in the first 11 months, whilst November recorded the highest number of visitors since July 2024.

The country welcomed 184,158 tourists in November, marking a 22% year-on-year (YoY) growth. It also recorded the highest November arrivals in five years.

The monthly tally in November represents a 36% increase from October’s 135,907 arrivals, sustained by the resolution of the visa crisis that had dampened mid-year performance. The 218,350 tourists recorded in February remains as the highest monthly arrivals registered in 2024 thus far.

Although the November numbers signal continued recovery, it fell short by 13,911 visitors from the projected target of 198,069 for the month set by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) — extending a trend observed throughout 2024, where monthly targets were consistently missed.

It also fell short by 11,424 arrivals from the 195,582 recrded in November 2018.

As November propelled to cross 1.8 million year-to-date(YTD) arrivals, edging closer to the revised 2024 target of 2 million visitors, the industry requires another 195,128 visitors within December. However, the YTD performance so far is still down by 23% when compared to the same period in thebenchmark year of 2018.

The daily tourist arrivals averaged 6,139 — up from 5,050 during the same period a year ago and significantly higher than October’s 4,384 average.

India remained Sri Lanka’s largest source market in November, contributing 41,120 visitors or 22% of total arrivals. Russia followed with 29,053, while the UK ranked third with 12,912 visitors. Germany and Australia rounded out the top five with 12,593 and 7,937 arrivals, respectively. Other key contributors included China, France, Poland, the US, and Spain.

India’s dominance in YTD figures was also clear, accounting for 364,093 visitors (20%), followed by Russia with 166,652 (9.2%) and the UK with 159,582 (8.8%).

Industry analysts opined achieving the revised annual target will require strong performance in December, typically boosted by high winter season demand.