Lanka surpasses the Maldives in tourist numbers

Maldives observed a 3.7 percent drop in tourist arrivals in November compared to the same month last year, as neighbouring Sri Lanka overtakes Maldives in terms of tourist arrivals, Haveeru reported. Sri Lanka also recorded 883,353 tourists in the 11 months upto November compared to the Maldives' 866,310.

The tourist arrivals to the Maldives in November were at 82,311 compared to the 85,501 visitors during the same month last year.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, increased its arrivals last month to 109,202 - a 20.1 percent rise over November 2011.

Figures released by the Maldives Tourism Ministry shows that tourists from Britain - a crucial market for the Maldives' upmarket tourism industry - fell 13.8 percent to 7,164 in November. Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, however, reported a 12.9 percent increase in visitors from UK to 10,828 last month.

Although Chinese arrivals to Maldives rose 9.2 percent to 18,450 in November, the number of tourists from Germany decreased 13.2 percent to 8,729 and from Italy by 35.9 percent to 3,551. Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Board General Manager Vipula Manigasekara said Sri Lanka, which has experienced a tourism boom since the end of the country's civil war in 2009, would not consider Maldives as a competitor in the tourism market.

"We don't want to compare the two countries. People come to Sri Lanka to experience our unique culture and environment, and people visit Maldives for the same reason. Even at the SAARC level we work together to attract tourists to the South Asian region," he told Haveeru.

Both Maldives and Sri Lanka target one million tourist arrivals this year.