COLOMBO: Tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka have reached 1,095,675, with expectations of continued growth in the coming months. Somarathne Vidanapathirana, the Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Lands, stated that if this trend persists, Sri Lanka could surpass its 2018 peak in tourism numbers, the highest since the end of the war.
Speaking at a recent media briefing at the Presidential Media Centre, Vidanapathirana attributed the promising recovery to the concerted efforts of the Ministry of Tourism and its affiliated institutions. This recovery comes despite significant setbacks from the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the recent economic crisis in Sri Lanka.
In 2022, Sri Lanka welcomed 719,978 tourists, a number that rose to 1,487,303 in 2023. By mid-July 2024, 1,095,675 tourists had already visited the country. The tourism sector in Sri Lanka peaked in 2018 with 2,333,796 visitors and USD 4.4 billion in revenue.
Officials are optimistic that if the current positive trend continues, both the number of foreign tourists and the revenue generated by the end of 2024 could exceed those of 2018.
