LNP - January tourist arrivals surpass 170,000 in three weeks

Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka have crossed the 170,000 mark within the first three weeks of January, provisional data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) showed. For the 22 days in January, the island nation welcomed a total of 177, 403 international visitors. This is a 19 percent increase from the 148, 898 arrivals recorded in the corresponding period of the previous year. The daily arrival average stands at 8,063, while the weekly average is about 59,000. India stands as the largest tourist traffic generator, accounting for 17.4 percent of the total tourist arrivals. In second place is the Russian Federation that contributed to 14.4 percent of the total tourist arrivals. While the United Kingdom ranks as the third largest source for Sri Lanka tourism, bringing in 8.4 percent of the total arrivals, Germany follows closely behind, accounting for 6.6 percent of the arrivals. Other key markets include China, Australia, France, United States, Poland and Netherlands.