August tourist arrivals up

Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka in August 2010 went up 35.7 percent to 55,898, compared to the corresponding period in the previous year. Only 41,207 tourists arrived in Sri Lanka in August 2009.

The number of visitors from Western Europe rose 51.6 percent (25,512) with tourists from France up 74.6 percent (2,925), the UK up 43.2 percent (12,413) and Germany up 45.7 percent (3,919), according to the latest figures released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.

South Asian arrivals continued to grow by 15.7 percent (12,058). India generated 9,255 visitors, an increase of 24.9 percent.

The number of visitors from the Middle-East is 2,562. Arrivals from East Asia increased 32.9 percent (6,734), with Malaysian arrivals to 1,046, and those from Singapore up to 1,023.

Arrivals from Australasia went up by 54.9 percent to 2,904 within the month of August 2010. The number of visitors from the Africa went up by 97.4 percent to 225.

Tourist arrivals in the country increased sharply from May 2009 after defeating 30 years of terrorism.