Increased Tourist Arrivals in Sri Lanka – The Bar Is Raised Higher

Sri Lanka continues to experience a positive trend in tourist arrivals, with April marking the fourth consecutive month of over 100,000 visitors, according to provisional data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA). In April 2023, the country welcomed a total of 105,498 tourists, showing a significant 67.5 per cent increase compared to the same month the previous year, which was impacted by socio-economic turmoil.

March 2023 recorded the highest number of arrivals since the Covid-19 outbreak, with 125,495 tourists visiting Sri Lanka. The cumulative tourist arrivals for January to April reached 441,177, and the country was expected to surpass half a million arrivals by the second or early third week of May. India remains the largest source market in April, followed by the United Kingdom, Russia and Germany. With the increasing arrivals, the Ministry of Tourism and the SLTDA has revised the year-end target for 2023 to 2 million arrivals. During this year, Kithala Resort and many a Yala safari hotel are also expected to be in demand with visitors as Sri Lanka is also being promoted as an adventure travel destination.