The tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka crossed the 38,000 mark in the first week of December, the provisional data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) showed.
From December 1 to 7, the island nation welcomed a total of 38,046 international visitors. When compared with the first seven days of November, which recorded the highest number of tourist arrivals since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2022, a marginal dip of 1.1 percent is seen.
Accordingly, the daily arrival average stands at 5,435, realising 15 percent of the target set for December.
While November missed the tourist arrival target, the industry stakeholders expressed confidence in December reaching the aspired numbers. The SLTDA has set a tourist arrival target of 242,135 for December.
India continues to retain its position as the largest source market for Sri Lanka tourism, bringing in 20 percent of the total tourism arrivals for the month so far. The Russian Federation, ranking second, accounted for 15 percent of the total arrivals, while the United Kingdom, the third largest tourist traffic generator, contributed to 12 percent of the total arrivals.
The other key markets include Germany, China, Australia, France, Canada and the United States.
Tourism Minister Harin Fernando told Parliament this week that on December 10, three passenger ships will dock in Colombo, increasing the daily arrivals in the coming weekend.
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