November tourist arrivals hit target but miss optimistic goal of luring 198,069 visitors

Pic by Kushan Pathirajah

Sri Lanka welcomed 184,158 international visitors in November, achieving the conservative scenario target set for the month. However, it fell short of the optimistic target of 198,069 arrivals.

Despite initial setbacks due to travel advisories issued by certain countries over potential terrorist threats, the local tourism sector managed to pick up momentum. The advisories, which specifically warned against threats targeting the popular surfing destination Arugam Bay, were later withdrawn, contributing to the improved arrival numbers.
The daily average of tourist arrivals for November stood at 6,138, while the weekly average reached 46,039. India continued to dominate as the top source market, contributing 41,120 arrivals. Russia followed with 29,053 visitors, while the United Kingdom ranked third with 12,912 arrivals.

Germany, Australia, China, France, Poland, the United States, and the Netherlands also featured among the top 10 source markets for the month.

Cumulative arrivals for 2024 have surpassed the 1.8 million mark, with India accounting for 364,093 arrivals, followed by Russia (166,652) and the UK (159,582). Analysts project total arrivals for the year to reach between 2 million and 2.1 million, falling short of the original target of 2.3 million.