Tourist arrivals to exceed 950,000 next year

Sri Lanka is geared to attract over 950,000 tourists to the country next year given the infrastructure facilities and prestige in the global travel map, said a top official of Sri Lanka Tourism.

Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Chairman Dr. Nalaka Godahewa presents a memento to 8000,000th tourist at the Bandaranaike International Airport.

Sri Lanka Tourism welcomed the 800,000th visitor last week marking another milestone in the industry which is a primary beneficiary of the peace dividends which elevated the image of the country in the global tourism arena.

Tourist arrivals rose 25.8 percent to 90,889 last month with the number of visitors during the 11 months rising 33.1 percent to 758,458, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau data revealed.

Hotel occupancy rate is currently around 85 percent.

Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Chairman said the tourism industry has achieved many milestones since the dawn of peace. The arrival of the 800,000th visitor is a landmark achievement for the country.

During year 2010, total number of tourist arrivals were recorded as 654,476 as opposed to 800,000 in 2012 so far, which is a 33.1 percent annual growth.

This year has seen a massive contribution to this total from India, Japan, Germany, U.K., France, the Netherlands, Italy and the Middle Eastern countries.

Sri Lanka Tourism launched a marketing campaign to promote eight segments with eight wonderful experiences for visitors such as: pristine, heritage bliss, thrills, festivities, essence, scenic beauty and wildlife.

The tourism industry has set a target of achieving 2.5million tourists by 2016 with a massive revenue for the industry.

The industry is targeting around 45,000 rooms to cater to the influx of tourists. LF