Rise in tourist arrivals
Nethali Struys
Tourist arrivals increased by 46 percent in January this year
compared to the corresponding figure in January 2010, a Sri Lanka
Tourism Promotion Bureau spokesman said.
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The number of European tourist arrivals have increased |
According to the report the number of tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka
in January 2010 was 50,757 while this year it was 74,197.
The majority of tourists are from South Asian countries. This is a
17,900 rise from 12,524 which indicates a growth of 43 percent.
Out of these South Asian tourists large number has been from India.
This has increased from 9,141 to 13,786, a growth of 51 percent, the
spokesman said.
The Government together with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development
Authority are committed to the development and growth of the local
tourism industry. The Board of Investment (BOI) offer potential foreign
investors lucrative incentives to start tourism establishments, he said.
The number of European and East Asian tourist arrivals have increased
by 54 percent. The number of European arrivals has gone up from 21,230
up to 32,627.
A development can be seen in tourists from North American countries
and United States. The North American tourists indicate a 58 percent
growth while with the United States it is 62 percent.
He pointed out that ending the three decades war has led to tourist
boom with the development of facilities. |
