In encouraging a tourist to visit Sri Lanka, just a lovely description of the natural beauty in the country may not suffice. Some travelers need numbers to convince them of whether or not Sri Lanka is a potential country on their list of places to visit.
Tourism Statistics
According to Daily Mirror – a news company in Sri Lanka, the tourism economy seems to be thriving and growing very well.
- Tourist arrivals have increased to approximately 2 million, which is a growth of 14%.
- Foreign exchange earnings have increased from USD 2981 million in 2015 to USD 3518 million.
- On average, tourists would spend USD164.1 per night in 2015 and this figure increased to USD 168.2 per night in 2016. This could mean that tourists are spending more in Sri Lanka.
- The current prime minister has targeted tourism arrivals to increase to 5 million by 2025.
International Presence
In addition to these figures, Sri Lankan High Commissions in other countries are taking an effort to make their presence as Sri Lankans felt worldwide.
For the second consecutive year, Sri Lanka participated in the international tourism and travel show 2017 held in Montreal, Canada, during the 20th – 22nd of October 2017. At this event, over a hundred other countries participated, exhibiting their own tourism industries. According to the Asian Tribune, 34,200 visitors were said to have attended the show with an aim to see where their next travel destination would be, to discover new holiday destinations and to learn about holiday tour operators.
At the Sri Lankan stall, all visitors were given country maps, brochures in different languages, as well as complementary tea from Sri Lanka. The booth also exhibited beautiful tourist attractions in Sri Lanka, focusing on the rich cultural heritage, unique wildlife and breathtaking landscapes. By browsing through these, visitors were impressed with the beauty of the country and expressed interest in visiting Sri Lanka for their next holiday.
2016 was the first year that Sri Lanka participated in the International Tourism and Travel Show and during that year, 50,087 Canadian tourists came to Sri Lanka. According to further reports, this figure showed a 29% increase in Canadian tourists to Sri Lanka. This obviously means that the international presence made a difference and the participation at the exhibition this year too would further encourage Canadian tourists to visit Sri Lanka.
Apart from Canada, the Sri Lankan embassy in Sweden held a tourism promotional event known as “A Glimpse of Sri Lanka”, for the second consecutive year in September this year. Large crowds were attracted to this event where live demonstrations of Sri Lankan food being cooked appealed to the sensory experience of visitors. While wanting to savor Sri Lankan cuisine was one reason to visit, guests also expressed interest in the tourist and cultural attractions in Sri Lanka.
Awards and Achievements
In July 2017, Maldives hosted the “World Travel Awards Ceremony”. At this event, Sri Lanka was competing with 47 Asian countries and managed to bag the following two awards:
- Asia’s Leading Destination
- Asia’s Leading Adventure Tourism Destination
Minister of Tourism Development in Sri Lanka stated that these two awards were important milestones for the tourism industry and will be a spotlight to draw more tourists to Sri Lanka as a holiday destination.
Conclusion
For the statistics/research minded traveler, the above information will surely be convincing enough for you plan to visit Sri Lanka and explore the much spoken about holiday destination! Whether you are looking for relaxation, unmatchable views, thrilling adventure, rich culture and good food, Sri Lanka has it all!