LNP - March tourist arrivals cross 100,000 mark in two weeks

The tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka have surpassed 97,000 within the first 13 days of March, the latest provisional data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority showed.  Accordingly, the 100,000 tourist arrival mark for March was crossed yesterday.  The island nation welcomed a total of 97,232 international visitors, marking a 14.72 percent growth, compared to the 84,755 arrivals during the same period last year. The daily arrival average for March currently stands at 7,480 tourists per day. The highest single-day arrival was recorded on March 8, coinciding with the International Women’s Day, with 9,073 visitors entering the country. India was listed to be the largest tourist traffic generator, accounting for 15.3 percent of the total arrivals, with 14,848 visitors. Russia followed in the second place, with 13,217 arrivals, contributing 13.6 percent of the total figure. Germany ranked third, with 9,083 arrivals, making up 9.3 percent of the visitors while the United Kingdom followed closely, with 8,845 arrivals, accounting for 9.1 percent of tourists. France recorded 7,109 arrivals, representing 7.3 percent of arrivals during the period. The Tourism Ministry plans to unveil new promotional initiatives for Sri Lanka later this month. Sri Lanka aims to attract three million visitors and generate US $ 5 billion in revenue in 2025. (NR)