Tourist arrivals up

Irangika RANGE

Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka rose 39 percent to 48943 in May 2011 from a year ago with sharp increases in visitors from the traditional Western European markets. During May this year visitors from Western Europe numbered 129,367 a 37.1 percent increase.

Tourists from the South Asian region saw an increase by 50.9 percent to 98,139.

Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority's (SLTDA) spokesman said that arrivals in the first five months of 2011 have jumped 40.2 percent to 327,902 from 233,922 last year. SLTDA statistics recorded only 35,213 tourist arrivals in May 2010.

Meanwhile, tourists arrivals from North America had increased by 13.7 percent to 2,966 while tourists from Eastern Europe had increased by 28 percent and the Middle East by 72 percent.

Tourist arrivals in the country increased sharply from May 2009 after the restoration of peace. Certain countries were removed the travel ban imposed on Sri Lanka with the elimination of terrorism.