Sri Lanka welcomes two millionth tourist in 2024
COLOMBO – Sri Lanka ceremonially welcomed the two millionth tourist to the country who arrived on a SriLankan flight from Bangkok on Thursday (26).
A government statement said the visitor, Thai national Prasan Ingkanunt, was greeted by Deputy Minister of Tourism Ruwan Ranasinghe, along with the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Buddhika Hewawasam.
Sri Lanka welcomed 2.3 million tourists in 2018, but the numbers fell from then on due to Easter Sunday bombings, the Covid pandemic and in 2022, a currency crisis coming from central bank rate cuts enforced with printed money.
Sri Lanka has recorded a total of 195,127 tourists arriving from December 1 to 26, 2024.
Authorities expect 256,389 tourists to land in the country by the year end which will take the total for the year to 2.061 million.
Sri Lanka originally projected 2.3 million arrivals, but the changes to the online visa procedure that saw VFS Global and IVS-GBS arbitrarily increase the fee charged for visa issuance, amidst opposition from the tourist industry, led to a crisis in the sector.
The new administration carried out a court order on a case filed by the opposition to revert to the previously existing, user-friendly system.
The statement said the government expected three million tourists in 2025.
-ENCL/EN
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.