Sri Lanka’s February tourist arrivals cross 60,000 mark in first eight days

The tourist arrivals to the island nation crossed the 60,000 mark in the first week of February, indicating improved interest in the destination.

The provisional data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority showed that for the first eight days of February, the arrivals to the country totalled 60,122. 

The arrivals achieved in the first eight days of February are about 55 percent of the total arrivals recorded for the whole of the second month of 2023. 

The daily arrival average has increased to 7,500, from the 6000-6,500 range recorded in January. 

Taking the lead for February is the Russian Federation, which accounted for 15 percent of the total tourist arrivals. 

Ranking second is India, which accounted for 14 percent of the international visitors to Sri Lanka. In the third place is the United Kingdom, accounting for 9 percent of the tourist arrivals. 

The cumulative arrivals for January 1 to February 8 are 268,375. 

For the year 2024, Sri Lanka hopes to draw 2.3 million tourists and generate an income of US $ 4 billion.