- First 19 days of June welcomes 69,825 tourists, pushing YTD arrivals to 966,825
- Industry analysts remain optimistic of maintaining daily average of 3,675 arrivals to cross 1 m milestone
- Indian tourist arrivals YTD likely to cross 200,000 by end June
By Charumini de Silva
Sri Lanka Tourism is poised to achieve a significant milestone by the end of the month, with expectations of surpassing 1 million visitor arrivals if the current momentum continues. As of the first 19 days of June, the country welcomed 69,825 tourists, bringing the cumulative figure for the year to 966,825.
Industry analysts remain optimistic that Sri Lanka will cross the 1 million mark by the end of the month, maintaining the daily average of 3,675 arrivals seen in June thus far. Should this trend persist, it would result in over 110,000 arrivals for the month, boosting the total to over 1 million within the first half of 2024.
Sri Lanka’s tourism sector, which is recovering from multiple setbacks, looks forward to leveraging this momentum to reach new heights, reaffirming the country’s appeal as a premier tourist destination in the region.
“This achievement would significantly boost the confidence of industry stakeholders in meeting the ambitious targets of 2.3 million arrivals and generating over $ 4 billion in revenue by the year’s end,” analysts noted.
Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority forecasts an influx of 148,695 tourists for the month. However, they lamented that the 1 million arrivals milestone would have been achieved much earlier, if the visa-free policy for over 60 countries was implemented. “With regional competitors continuing to attract global travellers with more favourable conditions, let us hope that at least before winter season starts the visa-free policy implemented. It will definitely give a bigger boost to the industry and economy,” they said.
