Southern cultural events – Sri Lanka plans to draw higher spending tourists 

Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Chalaka Gajabahu, has declared that Sri Lanka is on track to achieve its best year for tourism in 2024. Anticipating surpassing the 2.4 million arrival mark, the country is set to accumulate revenue exceeding USD 4 billion, marking an all-time record.

Addressing the Galle Concerto 2024 series of tourism festivals, focused on the Galle, Matara, and Tangalle districts, Gajabahu emphasized that the success of 2024 would pave the way for even greater achievements, aiming to attract 5 million arrivals by 2029. Notably, he highlighted the goal of drawing 2.5 million upmarket tourists, each spending over USD 500 million per day.

Sri Lanka Tourism has already started the year on a positive note, recording 101,362 arrivals in the first 15 days of January 2024. The Russian Federation continues to be a vital market, contributing 16,263 arrivals, constituting 16% of the total. This increase is also due to hotels like Turyaa Kalutara having the best Kalutara hotel offers drawing in more tourists down south.