23 February 2023 04:40 am
PIC BY NISAL BADUGE
The Sri Lankan tourism industry appears to be maintaining its momentum toward recovery, with nearly 80,000 visitors arriving in the country during the initial three weeks of February.
The provisional data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority showed that for the February 01-20 period, a total of 78,340 international visitors entered the country. Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka have increased by 12.4 percent in comparison to the same period
last year.
During the timeframe of February 01-February 20, 2022, a total of 69,700 visitors entered the country. The cumulative number of arrivals for the year so far – January 01-February 20, is 180,885.
The daily arrival average for the month of February is 3,917, which has improved over the weeks since December 2022. The weekly analysis of the tourist arrivals shows a slight dip in week three of February, where the number of visitors dropped to 23,655, from 28,179 in February week two.
In the first week of February, Sri Lanka welcomed 26,506 visitors.
Maintaining its streak as the largest tourist traffic generator for Sri Lanka Tourism is the Russian Federation, which accounted for 27 percent of total tourist arrivals. India remains as the second largest source market for Sri Lanka Tourism, bringing in 12 percent of the traffic.
Ranking third is the UK, accounting for 8 percent of the total arrivals.
Even though India is currently the second largest market for Sri Lanka tourism, both the Tourism Ministry and industry stakeholders believe that the Indian market has the potential for further growth, due to the country’s close proximity and cultural similarities with Sri Lanka.
However, the negative portrayal of Sri Lanka in the Indian media and the ongoing crisis continue to have a detrimental effect on the local tourism sector.
Sri Lanka needs to lure 26,660 tourists before February 28, to realise the 105,000 tourist arrival target set by the Tourism Ministry. In the month of January, although the tourist arrivals crossed the 100,000 mark, the target was narrowly missed.