Tourist arrivals increasing dramatically
The number of tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka went up
67.7 % to 57,300 in the month of February 2010, compared to February
2009 which was only 34,169, according to the latest figures released by
the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.
Figures showed an increase in the number of arrivals
from Western Europe, South Asia, East Asia, Middle East and North
America.
Tourists from Western Europe, the traditional tourist
generating market, rose 71.7 percent to 26,850 in February 2010. The
number of visitors from the UK went up 46.3 percent to 10,700, those
from France up 104 percent to 3,440 and from Germany up 122 percent to
5,656.
South Asian visitors rose to 66.6 percent i.e. 11,869
with tourists from India up by 94.9 percent to 8,383, from Maldives up
20 percent to 2,500 and from Pakistan up 34 percent to 609.
Arrivals from Australasia went up 32 percent to 2,067
and from East Asia up by 93.7 percent to 6,104. Japanese visitors
increased 50.6 percent to 1,306, visitors from Malaysia rose 420 percent
to 1,191.
Visitors from Singapore rose 112 percent to 829.
Sri Lanka was recently ranked as the number one
tourist destination by the 'New York Times' in its list of "31 Places to
go in 2010".
Tourist arrivals in the country increased sharply from
May 2009 after defeating terrorism, ending Sri Lanka's 30-year war.
Courtesy : Policy Research & Information Unit
of the Presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka | 
