Tourist boom continues

Tourist arrivals during the first eight months of this year increased by 15.8 percent to 622,661 from 537,787 recorded in the corresponding period last year. Arrivals in August increased by 9.7percent to 79,456 compared to the arrivals of 72,463 in 2011.

Officials of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority said that during the first eight months
of this year arrivals from North America increased by 17.8 percent to 39,379 and arrivals from
Latin America and the Caribbean increased by 54.6 percent to 997 from 645.

They said that arrivals from Western Europe increased by 18.9 percent to 246,842 and visitors
from Eastern Europe increased by 48.4 percent to 38,366.

A steep increase has also registered from Africa and this amounted to an increase by 25.5 percent to 2,656 . Arrivals from East Asia increased by 32.0 percent to 78,781 while arrivals from South Asia increased by 2.4 percent to 149,899. (niz)