Tourist arrivals up by 18.7 percent
by Uditha Kumarasinghe
The hotels and restaurants sub sector which accounts for 0.5 percent
of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has recorded a 22.6 percent
growth rate during the first half of 2012 reflecting the revival of the
tourism sector as the country is being developed as an attractive
tourist destination benefiting from the current peaceful atmosphere.
During the first eight months of 2012, tourist arrivals had increased
by 18.7 percent to 452,367 and tourist earnings by 24.3 percent to US$
459.9 million compared to the same period of 2011 according to the
Fiscal Management Report 2013 presented by President Mahinda Rajapaksa
in his capacity as Finance and Planning Minister in Parliament on last
November.
During the first quarter of 2012, room occupancy and guest nights
increased by 4.1 percent and 7.0 percent respectively compared to the
first quarter of 2011.
The report states that the tourist arrivals from Western Europe and
South Asia has increased by 20.3 percent and 4.6 percent respectively.
The target of attracting 2.5 million tourists by 2016 has created
many opportunities in a number of areas, including construction
industry, domestic agriculture, recreation and food and beverages
industry.
Meanwhile, construction services which account for 25 percent of the
industrial sector have recorded a remarkable growth rate of 17.9 percent
during the first half of 2012 compared to 12.5 percent recorded in the
same period of 2011, reflecting the improvements in public investment as
well as private sector investment in economic activities.
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