• The highest number  of tourists had arrived from the Russian Federation
• A new mobile phone application would be introduced for tourists

By Ajith Siriwardana   

Sri Lanka was targeting over one million tourist arrivals  in 2022, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) said yesterday. A  total of 29,420 tourists had arrived in the country within the first  ten days in January this year.   

SLTDA Chairperson Kimarli Fernando said the highest number  of tourists had arrived from the Russian Federation which is 5,432 and 5,175  from India.   

“A total of 2,820 tourists had arrived from Ukraine,  2,122 from the United Kingdom, 1,916 from Germany, 1,182 from the Maldives, 1075  from France, 1,030 from Australia, 753 from Poland, 657 from Kazakhstan. Some 7,258 had arrived from other countries,” she said.   

Speaking at the online press conference of the Presidential  Media Centre (PMC), She said more than 1.9 million tourists had arrived  in Sri Lanka in 2019 and added that due to the pandemic situation, tourist  arrivals had decreased to 507,704 in 2020 and 194,495 in 2021. 

 
She said Sri Lanka was targeting about 1.1 million tourists this year unless the pandemic hits the tourism industry.  Ms Fernando said a new mobile phone application would be introduced for tourists visiting Sri Lanka this year.

•  More than 1.9 million tourists had arrived  in Sri Lanka in 2019 and added that due to the pandemic situation, tourist  arrivals had decreased to 507,704 in 2020 and 194,495 in 2021