Sri Lanka has witnessed a promising start to December, with nearly 24,000 tourists arriving in the first four days, bringing the year-to-date (YTD) total to over 1.82 million visitors.
From December 1-4, 23,958 tourists arrived in the country, with Russia emerging as the top source market during this period. Russian visitors numbered 4,418, surpassing India’s 4,317 arrivals. The United Kingdom took third place with 1,592 arrivals.
The surge in Russian tourist numbers is attributed to the resumption of charter flights ahead of the winter holidays. Visitors from other key markets, including Poland, China, Australia, Germany, France, Bangladesh, and the United States, also contributed to the arrival boost.
Despite the encouraging start, the daily average arrivals in early December dropped slightly to 5,990, compared to the 6,377 recorded during the same period in November.
India continues to dominate the overall arrivals for 2024, with a cumulative 368,410 visitors so far, followed by Russia with 166,652, and the UK with 161,174.
Tourism industry experts have stressed the importance of maintaining strong December arrivals to achieve the revised 2024 annual target of 2 million visitors. To meet this goal, Sri Lanka needs an additional 171,179 tourists before the end of the month.
Tourism remains a vital pillar of Sri Lanka’s economy, and December’s performance will be critical in concluding the year positively.
