Sri Lanka welcomes 108,665 tourist arrivals in May 2024
Sri Lanka tourist arrivals registered 108,665 arrivals for the month of May 2024. Accumulated total arrivals from January to May 2024 stood at 893,316.
India emerged as the top tourist source market in May, contributing 31,225 visitors and taking a market share of 28.7%, while the Maldives and the UK followed with 7,984 and 7,844 travelers, respectively. Germany with 7,374 visitors was fourth and China, which was among the top two destinations prior to the pandemic, made it to the ‘Top 5 by destination’ ranking, with 7,180 arrivals.
May 2024 arrivals of 108,665 was 30.4% above that of May 2023’s 83,309 arrivals. However, it was 17.2% short of achieving the monthly target of 131,112 arrivals set by Sri Lanka Tourism. This year’s May arrivals were also less than the 129,466 arrivals achieved in May 2018 – a year that recorded the islands highest ever arrivals of a total 2.3 million visitors.
While there is growth, the industry is lagging in the pace of recovery given the number of new hotel openings.
Visitors to Sri Lanka who recently sought the visa-on-arrival facility were caught in-between a quagmire of the visa controversy. On the other hand, Thailand has expanded visa- free entry to 93 countries including Sri Lanka, from 1st June this year, to boost tourism allowing Sri Lankan tourists to enter Thailand and stay for up to 60 days without a visa.
Meanwhile, to boost the number of long-haul visitors to ASEAN, efforts are also underway with Thailand having initiated a plan establish a joint-visa program that allows travelers to visit six countries, including Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Vietnam, with one visa. While it is still at early stage of discussion, Vietnam and the neighbouring countries are expecting to benefit from the program in the future.
With such progressive measures been taken by countries in Asia, who already attract far more tourists than Sri Lanka, the regressive steps taken by certain Sri Lankan government agencies, where what the right-hand pockets, is seemingly not known by the left-hand… leaves much to be desired.
The new directive by the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA), which prohibits hotels from offering any discounts on alcohol purchases, (particularly the prohibition of “Happy Hour” promotions that include both drinks and food), deeming it a punishable offense with a Rs. 50,000 fine has been termed ‘ridiculous’ by both the Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) and Colombo City Restaurants Collective (CCRC).
Sri Lanka’s current tagline “You’ll come back for more” is really been tested.
Hospitality Sri Lanka
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