Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka drop by about 30% amid Middle East crisis

Tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka have fallen by around 30% due to the current military conflict in the Middle East, according to Deputy Minister of Tourism Ruwan Ranasinghe. He reported that 768 flights meant to bring tourists to Sri Lanka have been canceled because of the situation, resulting in a large decrease in the number of visitors. The Deputy Minister mentioned that plans are in place to enhance Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport as part of efforts to boost the tourism sector. Additionally, the Export Development Board (EDB) indicated that the crisis in the Middle East is impacting Sri Lanka’s export industry. EDB Chairman Mangala Wijesinghe explained that this region contributes about 8% of Sri Lanka’s overall exports. He also mentioned that if the situation persists, they are considering shifting 35% of tea exports that currently go to Iran to other countries.