Arrivals to Sri Lanka - on the up and on the mend
Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka during June 2019 registered a total 63,072. Considering that only 37,802 visited the country the previous month, the increase is an encouraging sign that tourism is on the mend.
May 2019 faced the full impact of the Easter Sunday attacks, when tourist arrivals declined by a massive 71% over the 2018-same-month arrivals. The increase in the number of arrivals in June 2019, despite reflecting a 57% decline over the arrivals in June 2018, underscores the fact that the road to recovery is underway.
India, Australia, United Kingdom, China and Maldives were Sri Lanka’s top five international tourist generating markets in the month of June this year. India was the largest source of tourist traffic to Sri Lanka with 24% of the total traffic received in June 2019. Australia and United Kingdom accounted for 7% of the total traffic; while China and Maldives posted 6% and 5% respectively. Together, visitors from these 5 countries produced 49% of the month’s total arrivals.
According to Sri Lanka tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) sources, about 10 countries have softened their travel advisories. China, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, US, UK and Germany are some of the countries that have relaxed travel advisories.
SLTBP Chairman Kishu Gomes said “Our target is to achieve at least 20% less than last year’s arrival figures. (The industry ended last year with 2.33 million visitors). We are working on this with an ambitious program to come close to last year’s target,” adding that the Promotion Bureau has embarked on an aggressive campaign along with the promotional campaign to tap the Indian market which will kick-off in July.
Sri Lankan Airlines has over 120 flights per week to key cities in India. The Airline plans to target 400,000 transit passengers staying between eight to 20 hours in transit with short-term packages.
SLTPB also launched a major offensive in China recently, in a bid to lure more Chinese visitors to the country. In conjunction with the exhibition, Sri Lanka Tourism held a special media briefing on June 17th at the China World Hotel in Beijing. The Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife & Christian religious affairs John Amaratunga speaking at the event highlighted that China was one of the key markets to Sri Lanka and he was keen on lifting the visa fees to Chinese tourists.
In the meantime, ‘Lonely Planet’ has reaffirmed its ranking of Sri Lanka as the best place to visit in 2019, in spite of the April’19 attacks.“The country has been upset, but continues to be an incredible place to visit. It still tops our Best in Travel for 2019,” the influential travel magazine said in its latest article on Sri Lanka.
Report compiled by in2ition |
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