Hotel, room rates skyrocket due to increasing tourist arrivals: AASL head

• Room charges of certain hotels in Tangalle have increased to Rs. 50,000 per night

By Chaturanga Samarawickrama and T.K.G. Kapila

While reaching a total tourist count of 46,942 as of yesterday, the country shows an increase in the number of tourists, The Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (AASL) Upul Dharmadasa said.

He told the Daily Mirror that nearly 3,000 tourists were arriving in the country daily as tourists, and nearly 22 airlines were currently operating to bring them. Dharmadasa said several more airlines have agreed to bring tourists into the country this year.

In line with the tourist arrivals, the charges of tourist hotels and rooms have increased, and the room charges of certain hotels in Tangalle have increased to Rs. 50,000 per night, he said.

"The hotel and room charges in the country have skyrocketed," Mr. Dharmadasa said.
He said foreigners came mainly from five countries. The highest number of foreigners who have visited are from  Russia with 9,866, 4,697 tourists from Britain, 4,241 from Ukraine, 3,784  from India and 3,737 tourists from the Netherlands.