Sri Lanka Tourism to leapfrog from 2022's average daily arrivals to 4000 in 2023
Plans to attract 1.5 million international arrivals in 2023 earning US$ 5 billion were revealed recently by Sri Lanka Tourism officials. The island’s Minister of Tourism Harin Fernando told journalist at a special media briefing held on 1st December, “ We have set on an ambitious arrival target of 1.5 million tourists for next year and a 3 million arrivals target for 2024”.
“The aim is to generate over US$ 5 billion next year with high-end travelers who spend US$ 400 per day over the current $ 200” added Mr. Fernando. On the other hand, the chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Board interviewed by a Daily News journalist a few days later in December stated “Our 2023 target is 1.5 million arrivals worth USD 2.8 billion in revenue and an arrival target of 2 million worth USD 3.8 billion for 2024.”
With 31 days left, before the end of year 2022, the Minister expressed his confidence in the country achieving the total 800,000 arrivals target for this year. The Minister further revealed that reservations between January and March 2023 is looking promising as informed by the industry and this included block-bookings on airlines as well.
Up to November of this year, 628,000 tourists have visited the country. December 2022 will have to thus draw a total 172,000 visitors (daily average of 5548 arrivals), to accommodate the minister’s ambitious prediction.
The average daily arrivals year-to-date, i.e. during the first 334 days of year 2022 is 1880. The 2023 goal would require attracting an average daily 4010 arrivals. Taking the ‘non-peak’ period (April - September) into consideration, the daily average arrivals during the traditional ‘peak’ periods (January - March & October - December), will have to notch 8,500+ if the forecasted expectation of welcoming 1.5 Million tourist is to be realised. In its record breaking year in 2018, the country had an average 6,301 daily arrivals).
Last year, when Sri Lanka welcomed 69,941 tourists by 26th December (Boxing day), Tourism officials were quickly hopeful that the country will record at least 100,000 arrivals per month in 2022, which according to them would have been 50 percent of the monthly arrivals seen in 2018 – a year where Sri Lanka welcomed the highest ever number of tourists (2.3 million), until now.
At an economic forum held at the beginning December 2021, The consultancy firm Mckinsey cautioned those present that it may take Sri Lanka up to 5 years to again reach the highest ever arrival figure recorded in 2018 due to international and domestic factors that can constrain the sector.
Meanwhile many star rated city and resort hotels have begun rolling out concessional room rates to locals for the month of December 2022 (some extending to 31st January 2023), in order to ramp up hotel occupancies.
Hospitality Sri Lanka
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