Sri Lanka has registered 113,470 visitors in June, bringing the cumulative number of tourists to 1.01 million for the year, maintaining a steady upward trajectory.
June arrivals reflect a significant 67% year-on-year (YoY) growth, although it is still 22.7% lower compared to the 146,828 arrivals in the benchmark year of 2018.
In June, the country welcomed an average of 3,782 tourists daily, slightly higher than the 3,617 daily average in May 2024.
For 2024, Sri Lanka Tourism has set an ambitious target to attract 2.3 million tourists and generate over $ 4 billion in revenue. Analysts believe that if the visa-free policy is implemented swiftly, Sri Lanka could surpass its original target and reach as high as 2.5 million visitors.
Despite the positive trend, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority’s forecast of 148,695 tourists for the off-season month of June was missed.
Sri Lanka has consistently missed its monthly tourist arrival targets from January to June 2024 by 13.9%, 8.4%, 11.4%, 18.5%, 14.4% and 31%, respectively. India emerged as the top source market in June with 28,631 visitors, followed by the UK with 9,666 and China with 8,575. Other notable source countries included Australia, Maldives, Germany, Bangladesh, the US, Russia, and Canada.
Year-to-date (YTD), India remains the leading source market with a cumulative total of 184,468 arrivals, followed by Russia with 114,104 and the UK with 58,819.
As Sri Lanka continues to navigate the challenges and opportunities in the tourism sector, the consistent growth in visitor numbers signals a positive outlook for the industry.
