Tourist Arrivals Exceed 2 Million After 5 Years
- 5opn1
- December 27, 2024
- Travel and Tourism
- Tourist Arrivals Exceed 2 Million After 5 Years
- 0 Comments
The 2,000,000th tourist for 2024 arrived today at 10:49 AM at the Bandaranaike International Airport on flight UL 403 from Bangkok.
To welcome the milestone tourist, Deputy Minister of Tourism Dr. Ruwan Ranasinghe, along with the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Buddhika Hewawasam, were present at the airport. A special ceremony was organized by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau at the Silk Route Lounge of the airport to mark the occasion.
This marks the fourth instance of annual tourist arrivals exceeding 2 million, with previous years being 2016, 2017, and 2018. Following the record set in 2018, this year has seen the highest number of tourist arrivals within a single year.
As of December 26, 195,127 tourists have arrived in December alone, and it is expected that the total will exceed 250,000 by midnight on December 31 (with a projected figure of 256,389). The last time over 250,000 tourists arrived in a single month was in February 2019, with 252,033 arrivals.
The tourism industry, which had been severely affected by the Easter Sunday attacks, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the economic crisis, has shown rapid recovery under the new government.
The current administration has taken steps to resolve online visa issues faced by foreign tourists, ensure their safety, and address challenges faced by tourism service providers. As a result, 515,192 tourists have arrived in the country within the past three months alone.
Additionally, the government has introduced free visa facilities for 39 countries as part of its plan to attract 3 million tourists to Sri Lanka in 2025.
