Tourist arrivals cross 100,000 mark in June

• Cumulative tourist arrivals for 1H23 total 624,874
• India, UK and Russian Federation emerge as top three source markets
• China enters top five largest tourist traffic generator list for Sri Lanka

Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka crossed the 100,000 mark in June, surpassing the target of 87,521 set for the month. 
With the month of June drawing 100,388 international visitors, Sri Lanka has been successful in crossing the 100,000 milestone for five months in the first half of 2023. In May, tourist arrivals totalled 83,309, a dip due to seasonality. 

The provisional data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority showed that with the June performance, the cumulative tourist arrivals for the January to June period reached 624,874. 

The daily arrival average for June was 3,346, whereas the weekly arrival average was 25,097. 

India emerged as the largest tourist traffic generator for Sri Lanka, contributing to 27 percent of the total arrivals. 
The UK regained its position as the second largest source market for Sri Lanka, accounting for 8 percent of the incoming international visitors. In May 2023, the UK fell to the fourth position. 

In the third position was the Russian Federation, which accounted for 8 percent of the total tourist arrivals. Russia has slipped a position from May 2023. 

Meanwhile, China’s contribution to the local tourism sector continues to improve. Data showed that China, which was one of the top three source markets for Sri Lanka tourism prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, is now the fifth largest tourist traffic generator for the island nation. 

The other key markets include Australia, Germany, Canada, the Maldives, United States and France. 

Sri Lanka aims to draw 1.55 million international visitors this year and is confident it will end the year with over two million visitors.(SAA)