Tourism

Earnings from tourism top USD 2 billion in first eight months

Sri Lanka has earned over two billion U.S. dollars from tourism in the first eight months of 2024, the latest data from the Central Bank shows.

The country earned USD 2.17 billion during the above period, which is a 66.1% increase from the corresponding period in 2023, according to the Central Bank data.

Tourist arrivals also increased by 50.7% in the same period, and 1.36 million tourists arrived in the first eight months of 2024, the data shows.

In August 2024, arrivals were 164,609, an increase of around 20 % compared to August 2023, Central Bank data shows.

Tourism is one of Sri Lanka’s top foreign revenue generators.

Sri Lankan tourism authorities are expecting three million foreign tourists next year, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Managing Director Nalin Perera said recently.

Source: The Island