Tourist arrivals soar to 855,975 in 2011

by Uditha KUMARASINGHE

The number of tourist arrivals, which increased 46.1 percent to a record 654,476 tourists in 2010 has increased further to 855,975 tourists in 2011, reflecting the positive impact of peace in the country.

With peace, the tourism industry, which remained stagnant for almost three decades, has begun to pay dividends. Many countries that had imposed adverse travel advisories on Sri Lanka have lifted them. With peace prevailing in the country, there is an unprecedented surge in the number of tourist arrivals boosting economic activities all over the country, Finance Ministry sources told the Sunday Observer .

Many tourist attractions which were not accessible earlier due to terrorism are now open to local and foreign tourists. The Zoological Gardens, Botanical Gardens and Wild Life Parks woo a record number of visitors and achieved new highs in revenue, the sources said.

According to the Annual Report 2011 of the Finance and Planning Ministry, the number of 110,443 tourists who visited the Cultural Triangle in 2005 had increased to 239,920 in 2011.

The number of 135,006 foreign visitors to the Zoological Gardens in 2005 increased to 284,898 in 2011 while the number of tourists who visited the Botanical gardens had increased from 110,639. Moreover, the number of 57,441 tourists who visited Wild Life Parks in 2005 had increased to 198,536 last year.