January tourism earnings at US $ 3.6mn

Sri Lanka earned US $ 3.6 million from the tourism trade for the month of January, after opening its borders for international travellers on January 21.

Sri Lanka welcomed 1,682 tourists during the 11 days, after nearly a 10-month border closure, due to the COVID-19 pandemic-related fears. 

Sri Lanka received 228,434 foreign visitors in January 2020 and earned US $ 430.6 million for the month.

However, going forward, it appears that the comparison of tourist arrivals and earnings should be done on a month-on-month basis, instead of the usual year-on-year basis, to get a clear picture of the industry developments. 

The government expects US $ 1.5 billion from the tourism industry this year.

At its peak, Sri Lanka welcomed 2.33 million tourists in 2018 and earned US $ 4.4 billion from the trade.