Total tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka reached 57,506 for the month of May, an increase of 17.5 percent year-on-year. The majority of visitors

originated from South Asia with 20,829 arrivals from the region, down from 21,016 in the previous year. Of the visitors from the region, tourists from India accounted for 15,888 arrivals, as compared with 16,649 arrivals from the country in 2011.

The Western European region recorded the next highest amount of arrivals by region with a reported 15,596 arrivals during the month, as compared with 12,419 arrivals in the previous year.

All countries in the region saw increases in the amount of arrivals to the country, with tourists from the United Kingdom accounting for 4,940 of visitors from the region, an 11% increase over the previous years’ figure.

By region, East Asia sourced the next highest arrivals figure at 9,311, a drastic 41% improvement over the previous year’s figures. Arrivals from Malaysia saw a drastic 55.3% increase, recording 1,854 arrivals whilst 1,564 tourists originated from China, a 17% improvement year-on year.

Arrivals from Eastern Europe were recorded at 2,367, as compared with 1,423 arrivals in the previous year. Of the visitors from the region, 886 originated from Russia, as compared with 659 arrivals last year.