DARSHANA SANJEEWA BALASURIYA 
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Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals surpass 2 million in 2024
Colombo, Dec 26 (Daily Mirror) - Sri Lanka has welcomed its 2 millionth tourist who arrived from Bangkok this year, at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), after a five-year gap.
This marks the fourth time in history that annual tourist arrivals have surpassed 2 million, with previous instances occurring in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Deputy Minister of Tourism Ruwan Ranasinghe and Chairman of the Tourism Promotion Bureau Buddhika Hewawasam were at the airport to greet the milestone tourist.
A special ceremony was also organised by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau at the Silk Route Lounge of the BIA to mark the occasion.
According to statistics, 195,127 tourists have arrived in Sri Lanka in the first 26 days of December, with expectations to exceed 250,000 by December 31. February 2019 was the only month to have seen more than 250,000 tourist arrivals.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism said that the country's tourism sector, which had been severely impacted by the 2019 Easter attacks, the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing economic crisis, is now experiencing rapid growth following the new government's efforts.
The Ministry said that the government had addressed issues related to online visas for foreign tourists. In addition, steps have been taken to ensure the safety of tourists and resolve challenges faced by travel service providers.
According to the Ministry, a total of 515,192 tourists have visited Sri Lanka during the past three months.
Furthermore, the new government has introduced free visa facilities for citizens from 39 countries and is working towards its goal of attracting 3 million tourists by 2025.
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