Sri Lanka welcomed over 22,000 tourists within the first five days of the month, boosted by Russian travellers. This surge in arrivals has propelled the cumulative figure for the year to an impressive 1.14 million, highlighting the country’s growing appeal as a tourist destination.
Russia emerged as the leading contributor to this positive trend, accounting for 20% of the arrivals or 4,491 tourists, followed by India with 18% (3,866 tourists), Germany with 9% (2,011 tourists), the UK with 7% (1,539 tourists) and Australia with 4% (927 tourists), the provisional data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority showed.
Sri Lanka also welcomed visitors from other key markets, including China, Poland, France, Spain and Bangladesh, further diversifying its tourist profile.
Sri Lanka Tourism has set an ambitious target of welcoming 204,114 tourists for the entire month of November. It is the second-highest monthly target behind 242,135 set for December.
Analysing the year-to-date (YTD) figures, India retains its stronghold as the top tourist source market for Sri Lanka, followed by Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany and China.
Industry analysts said with the current influx of visitors and ongoing promotional efforts, they are hopeful of achieving the monthly objective and reinforcing Sri Lanka’s position as a premier destination.
Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Chairman Chalaka Gajabahu recently expressed hope for the marketing blitz that commenced at the beginning of the month.
