Sri Lanka has witnessed a significant surge in tourist arrivals, with 218,350 visitors recorded in February 2024, marking the highest monthly figure since January 2020.
This milestone comes on the heels of January 2024, which also saw a remarkable influx of tourists, totaling 208,253 arrivals, as disclosed by Minister of Tourism, Harin Fernando.
Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to share the news, Minister Fernando highlighted that the estimated earnings from tourism for the first two months of 2024 amounted to USD 710 million, underscoring the sector's vital contribution to the country's economy.
The Central Bank's latest report on external sector performance, released on Friday (01), further corroborated the positive trend in tourism earnings. Sri Lanka's tourism revenue for January 2024 was estimated at USD 342 million, the highest monthly value recorded since January 2020. Moreover, the report revealed a substantial increase in tourist arrivals compared to the same period in 2023, with January 2024 welcoming 208,253 tourists, nearly double the figure of 102,545 arrivals in January 2023.
