Tourist arrivals to top 500,000 for third year

by ANJANA Gamage

Despite the tsunami's effect on the tourism industry in 2004, Sri Lanka has surpassed half a million tourists arrivals for the third consecutive year in 2005, Director General of the Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) S. Kalaiselvam told the Daily News.

Total tourist arrivals of 564,200 in 2003, 566,000 in 2004 and 498,137 (only up to November 2005) have been recorded by the SLTB's Research and International Affairs Division.

Latest statistics still being compiled have indicated that the total tourist arrivals for 2005 would be more than 550,000 at the end of December. "The tourism sector is one of the major foreign exchange earners. The tsunami hit the country when the local tourism sector was rapidly boosting. Recording half a million tourist arrivals amid such a scenario is a great achievement," he said.

According to him, there is a drop in arrivals from Europe compared with the previous year's figure. A total of 254,653 tourist arrivals from Europe has been recorded from January to November 2004.

But in 2005 up to November there were only 206,361 arrivals. Statistics have indicated an increase in the arrivals from the Asian market especially China and India. A total of 63,775 tourist arrivals was recorded only up to November from East Asian countries including China (8,586), Japan (15,771), Malaysia (10,305) and Singapore (10,236) last year. It was only 57,003 in 2004.

A major increase has been shown from the Indian market with total arrivals to the country (up to November) reaching 102,687 which was only 93,880 in 2004.

"Three factors affected tourism this year. They are the tsunami impact, the Presidential election and the continuous violence in the North and East. But there are positive factors too including a major tourism promotion campaign by the SLTB together with the SriLankan Airlines.

Three special events were held in Sri Lanka - Travel Mart in June, WOMAD drum festival in September and the World Spice festival in October," he said.

Meanwhile, hard efforts and several important decisions taken by the Ministry of Tourism along with the SLTB such as tax free duty concessions and soft loan schemes to rebuild the ruined hotels have assisted the hoteliers to overcome the difficulties.

"Within a very short period, the Government took steps to re-establish infrastructure facilities in the tsunami affected areas.

Bus and train services are back on track. Scheduled airlines are now operating," he further said.

Meanwhile as a part of an initiative to boost tourism more than 200 media persons from France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia arrived here in 2005.