In a recent announcement on the social media platform X, Sri Lanka’s Tourism Minister, Harin Fernando, revealed that the country experienced a remarkable surge in tourist arrivals, with more than 200,000 visitors in the month of December alone. This marks the highest monthly influx of tourists recorded in the past four years.
The weekly summary report, as published by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), disclosed that from December 1 to 28, a total of 1,476,951 tourists explored the island nation. Consequently, the cumulative tourist arrivals from January 1 to December 28 reached an impressive 1,466,556.
Minister Fernando highlighted that this achievement surpasses the initial target set by the government in January, aiming for 1.5 million tourist arrivals by the close of 2023. The positive trajectory is particularly noteworthy considering the modest 719,978 tourist arrivals witnessed in the entirety of 2022.
Sri Lanka’s tourism sector appears to be rebounding robustly, demonstrating resilience and surpassing expectations in the face of global uncertainties.