ECONOMYNEXT – Tourist arrivals into Sri Lanka rose 21.56 on a year-on-year basis in November, despite travel advisories by six countries in effect during the month, data from Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority showed.
Despite a US-led travel advisory being in effect in the first two weeks of the month, an inflow of tourists have been reported as the sector continues to recover.
Sri Lanka tourist indicators have grown from 151,496 in November 2023 to 184,158 in November 2024, mostly led by Indian tourists.
The total number of Indian tourists visiting Sri Lanka monthly rose to 41,120 from 36,417, an 11.4 percent increase.
Indian arrivals were by far the highest, overtaking visitors from the Russian Federation at 29,053, United Kingdom at 12,912, Germany at 12,593, Australia at 7,937 and China at 7,696.
The number of Israeli arrivals grew from 21,913 in October to 22,791 in November, despite the US Embassy’s announcement of a possible attack on tourist areas in the island’s east, where there is a higher Israeli presence, and the Israeli government issuing warnings to its citizens to defer non-essential travel to Sri Lanka.
The US travel advisory on a possible attack centering the Arugam bay area issued on October 23 was followed by Australia, Israel, Russia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Income from the tourism sector rose slightly from 181 million US dollars to 186 million US dollars in the month of October.
(Colombo/Dec03/2024)
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