(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka have fallen by 31.5 percent to 507,311 in the first quarter of this year, with March suffering a 71 percent drop, largely due to the spread of COVID-19 globally and enforcement of travel restrictions.
According to the latest data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), March marked the third consecutive month of decline in tourist arrivals, by receiving 71,370 arrivals compared to 244,328 from a year earlier.
India, Britain, Russia, Germany and China were Sri Lanka’s top five international tourist generating markets in the first quarter.
India was the largest source of tourist traffic to Sri Lanka with 18 percent of the total traffic received from January to March 2020, while Britain accounted for 11 percent, Russia, Germany, and China accounted for 10 percent, 7 percent, and 5 percent respectively.
Sri Lanka tourism recently said it is readying a five-year global tourism promotion initiative to target an early revival of the island’s tourism sector following the COVID-19 pandemic. (Xinhua)
