Sri Lanka tourism revival efforts of the country’s tourism development authority (SLTDA) is now yielding positive results with significant increase in travelers’ arrival in January 2023 to 102,545 an increase of 24.5% compared to January 2022 and reaching 43% pre pandemic levels (2018).
The tourism promotion campaign of the SLTDA is aimed at achieving the ambitious target of 1.5 million arrivals and an income of $ 5 billion by attracting high-end travelers who spend over $ 400 per day from the current $ 200, Chairman of the authority Priyantha Fernando disclosed.
He added that this will not be mission impossible following the country’s return to social political stability without any interruptions at a time where the island nation is just beginning the tourism revival despite many challenges.
Earnings from tourism trade continued its months-long ascension with the encouraging arrival numbers, which topped over 100,000 in January, a feat which became possible after almost a year.
This helped the trade to earn US$ 161.8 million in January, recording 6.7 percent growth over the same month in 2022.
This trend can be attributed to the peak travel season in Sri Lanka, as well as the other factors such as resumed cruise tourism and increased connectivity to the country, SLTDA announced.
In addition to the pent-up demand, the relaxation of travel restrictions in various source markets is also crucial in the travel recovery.
The top countries of origin for tourists in January were the Russian Federation, India, the United Kingdom, Germany and France, the authority revealed.
Europe emerged as the primary source of tourists visiting Sri Lanka, accounting for 66.1% of total arrivals. It is believed that pent-up demand from countries such as the Russian Federation, UK, Germany, France and Israel contributed to this increase in tourism.
Meanwhile, 25.3% of tourists came from Asia and the Pacific region, 6.4% from the Americas, and 1.5% from the Middle East.
Factors such as the lifting of travel restrictions and improved air accessibility in Sri Lanka could be the factors that contributed to the growth in tourism, Mr Fernado said. .
According to the UNWTO, international tourism is expected to further recover in 2023 due to growing demand.
However,international tourism’s sustained recovery may be hindered by economic, health and geopolitical obstacles.
An analysis of tourist arrivals by purpose of visit reveals that a majority 55.7% of tourists had visited Sri Lanka for pleasure/vacation, while for 17% of tourists the main purpose was visiting friends and relatives. Only 4.5% of tourists had visited for business related purposes.
The majority of tourists visiting Sri Lanka from the top source markets of Russia, India, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Israel, traveled to Sri Lanka for pleasure or vacation.
Specifically, 57% of tourists from Russia, 52.4% from India, 70% from Germany,52% from the United Kingdom, 70% from France, and 69% from Israel visited Sri Lanka for this purpose.
