Highest tourist arrivals for South Asia

by A. G. Piyadasa

Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka increased in the last ten months and the highest arrivals were from the South Asian region. The total arrivals up to October 30 were 449,680.

This was an increase of 14, 612 in contrast to the corresponding period last year.

The South Asian arrivals stood at 125,502 while in the previous year it was 103, 520 which a 21.2 percent increase. Indian arrivals in 2004 were 81, 964 and in 2005 increased to 92, 163 an increase of 12. 4 percent. There was also an notable increase of the Maldivian tourists which rose from 11,077 to 20,162 which is an increase of 82 percent.

Once again Western European arrivals were low with a total 184,983 tourists so far. This is in contrast to 222,136 arrivals in the first nine months of 2004. (16.7 percent) Eastern Europe arrivals in 2004 were 10,154 as against 7,134 up to last month, which is a decrease of 29.7 percent.

However a Sri Lanka Tourist Board official said that this would increase in the festive season.

Most of the infrastructure that was damaged after the tsunami have now been completed and this too would help to increase European tourist arrivals.

The new airlines adding Sri Lanka to their map would also help towards increasing the arrivals," he said.