Sri Lanka is preparing to mark a major milestone in its tourism recovery, with the arrival of its 2-millionth visitor tomorrow.
The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) is all prepared to celebrate the country’s most robust tourism season since 2018.
The influx of visitors has been notable in December, with the country welcoming 161,383 tourists in the first 22 days alone.
22 December saw a record 10,820 visitors in a single day, whilst daily arrivals have consistently exceeded 10,600 from 20-22 December. This also pushed the daily average of tourists to 7,336.
The winter season momentum builds on strong performance in November, where 184,168 tourists visited the country—a 22% year-on-year (YoY) increase. For December, Sri Lanka Tourism originally projected 256,389 arrivals.
The year-to-date (YTD) arrivals have now surpassed 1.96 million, setting the stage for Sri Lanka to reach 2.1 million arrivals by year-end along with tourism revenue exceeding $3 billion.
Speaking at the National Tourism Awards 2024 last Friday, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam highlighted the sector’s resilience and growth.
“The industry is poised to end 2024 on a high note, with visitor numbers expected to hit 2.1 million and revenue surpassing $3 billion. Hotel occupancy rates are climbing back to 80%, and we are seeing a level of vibrancy that was absent for almost five years,” he said.
Hewawasam said this season marks a turning point, and the best years for Sri Lanka Tourism are ahead of us.
India remained Sri Lanka’s largest source market in December, contributing 35,131 visitors, or 22% of total arrivals. Russia followed with 22,637, while the UK ranked third with 12,822 visitors. Germany and Australia rounded out the top five with 9,998 and 8,646 arrivals, respectively. Other key contributors included China, the US, Maldives, France, and Poland.
India’s dominance in YTD figures was also clear, accounting for 399,224 visitors (20.3%), followed by Russia with 189,299 (9.6%) and the UK with 172,404 (8.8%).
