Sri Lanka's tourism sector fell short of its projected targets, with tourist arrivals not surpassing the 900,000 mark within the first five months of the year. By the end of May, the country lagged behind its target by 13 percent, missing 133,983 arrivals.
In May alone, the island nation saw a 34 percent year-on-year increase in tourist arrivals, totaling 112,128 visitors. However, this was still 14.4 percent, or 18,984 arrivals, short of the target set by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA).
The total number of tourist arrivals from January to May was 896,779, falling short of the 1.03 million target. Despite previous confidence expressed by SLTDA Chairman Priantha Fernando about surpassing the 900,000 milestone by the end of May, the actual numbers tell a different story.
Daily average arrivals in May dropped to 3,617 compared to 4,967 in April, attributed to the onset of the off-season. India led the arrivals in May with a 28.8 percent share, followed by the United Kingdom and Maldives, each contributing 7.2 percent. China and Germany were the fourth and fifth largest markets, each accounting for 6.7 percent.
Notably, Russia, which had consistently been in the top three source markets in previous months, fell to the seventh position. This decline is attributed to the loss of charter flights from Russia, driven by higher hotel charges and increased landing fees at Mattala International Airport. In response, the Sri Lankan government has awarded a joint venture between Indian and Russian firms the contract to manage the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport.
Despite these setbacks, SLTDA has not revised its annual target and remains optimistic about reaching 2.3 million arrivals by the year's end. So far, from January to May, the country missed its monthly tourist arrival targets by 13.9 percent, 8.4 percent, 11.4 percent, 18.5 percent, and 14.4 percent respectively. Lanka's tourism sector fell short of its projected targets, with tourist arrivals not surpassing the 900,000 mark within the first five months of the year. By the end of May, the country lagged behind its target by 13 percent, missing 133,983 arrivals.
In May alone, the island nation saw a 34 percent year-on-year increase in tourist arrivals, totaling 112,128 visitors. However, this was still 14.4 percent, or 18,984 arrivals, short of the target set by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA).
The total number of tourist arrivals from January to May was 896,779, falling short of the 1.03 million target. Despite previous confidence expressed by SLTDA Chairman Priantha Fernando about surpassing the 900,000 milestone by the end of May, the actual numbers tell a different story.
Daily average arrivals in May dropped to 3,617 compared to 4,967 in April, attributed to the onset of the off-season. India led the arrivals in May with a 28.8 percent share, followed by the United Kingdom and Maldives, each contributing 7.2 percent. China and Germany were the fourth and fifth largest markets, each accounting for 6.7 percent.
Notably, Russia, which had consistently been in the top three source markets in previous months, fell to the seventh position. This decline is attributed to the loss of charter flights from Russia, driven by higher hotel charges and increased landing fees at Mattala International Airport. In response, the Sri Lankan government has awarded a joint venture between Indian and Russian firms the contract to manage the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport.
Despite these setbacks, SLTDA has not revised its annual target and remains optimistic about reaching 2.3 million arrivals by the year's end. So far, from January to May, the country missed its monthly tourist arrival targets by 13.9 percent, 8.4 percent, 11.4 percent, 18.5 percent, and 14.4 percent respectively.
