SL welcomes over 46,000 tourists from May 1 - 12

• Drop in rate of arrivals due to ‘off peak’ start
• Change in ranking seen in key source markets

Sri Lanka welcomed over 46,000 international tourists for the first 12 days of May, a drop in momentum due to the start of the off peak season.

Provisional data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) showed that the island nation saw 46, 042 tourists enter the country from 1 to 12 May.

This brings the cumulative arrivals from 1 January to 12 May to 830, 693. 

The daily arrival average which was over 5,000 in the first couple of months has dropped to the levels of 3,800. The weekly arrival average has dropped to 26,000.

The month of May is also seeing a change in the rankings of the key source markets.

India remains the largest tourist traffic generator, bringing in 23 percent of the total number of tourists of the month.

The Maldives, now ranks second, accounting for 11 percent of the arrivals. Ranking third is China, accounting for 7 percent of the total arrivals.

Key markets such as the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation have dropped to the fourth and fifth positions.