More Chinese tourists visit SL [January 26 2013]

The number of Chinese tourists to sun-dappled Sri Lanka has increased by 58 percent in 2012, official data released showed, sparking fresh promotions aimed at increasing arrivals from the world’s fastest growing economy. Chinese arrivals ended the year up by 58.1 percent at 25,781 with December alone seeing 3,605 arrivals, which is an impressive 213.8 percent rise from December 2011.

The data was released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority(SLTDA).

In 2011, the total number of Chinese tourists to the island was 16,308. Overall, East Asia provided the third largest cache of tourists with 132,730 people. Despite the comparatively smaller number, the region still had one of the best performance rates, increasing by 38 percent from the previous year.

Buoyed by the increase in numbers, the Economic Development Ministry headed by Minister Basil Rajapaksa has focused on promoting Sri Lanka in China.During December, the SLTDA sponsored a dozen journalists and TV crew from China to visit the scenic island and increase its exposure to Chinese audiences.

- Xinhua