Colombo, Dec 24 (IANS): Sri Lanka recorded over 50,000 international tourist arrivals in December so far, a significant improvement compared to previous months, according to latest data released by the tourism authority.
The daily average of arrivals in December is over 2,500 and in the first 11 months of this year, the figure was around 1,900, data from Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) showed.
The total number of international tourist arrivals for the year to December 20 was 678,392, Xinhua news agency quoted the SLTDA as saying.
Tourism, one of Sri Lanka's leading foreign exchange earners, has suffered a setback due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the country's economic and political crises.
Sri Lanka aims to attract around 1.5 million tourists in 2023 and 3 million tourists in 2024, according to Minister of Tourism and Lands Harin Fernando.