Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka crossed the 900,000 mark in the first 8 months – An increase since last year

The first 8 months of the year 2023 have indicated positive growth for the tourism industry in Sri Lanka – crossing the 900,000 mark as of August 30th, an increase against the previous year’s numbers of 719,978. Aiming to attract a total of 2 million visitors for the year 2023, many boutique hotels in Galle and other parts of the country rely on the tourism aspect both local and international to keep businesses afloat and flush.

As one of the leading foreign exchange earners as well, the country took a huge setback to its finances when COVID-19 affected the world, freezing travel. However, it’s not the only blockage, as the country has faced relative amounts of political and economic turmoil to trade – with businesses like Kahanda Kanda taking a hit to their bottom line.