Colombo, Jan 3 (IANS): Last year ended on a good note for Sri Lanka's tourism sector as the arrivals of international visitors to the country topped the 700,000 mark despite the ongoing economic and political crisis, local media reported on Tuesday.

According to official statistics, December saw a total of 91,961 tourists arriving in the island nation, recording the third-highest monthly arrivals in 2022, taking the total number of visitors last year to 719,978, reports Xinhua news agency.

Industry stakeholders said the Tourism Ministry expected to close the year with at least 800,000 tourists, for which several initiatives and promotional campaigns were carried out in potential source markets in the fourth quarter.

Based on the data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, India topped the list with 17 per cent of the total tourist arrivals.

Russia ranked second accounting for 13 per cent and Britain became the third largest source market with 12 per cent.