Indian tourist influx pushes Sri Lanka pass 1.6mn arrivals

FOR FIRST 7 DAYS OF MONTH, ISLAND NATION WELCOMED A TOTAL OF 37,495 INTERNATIONAL VISITORS DESPITE THIS POSITIVE MOMENTUM, A SHADOW OF UNCERTAINTY LOOMS OVER GOVERNMENT'S AMBITIOUS YEAR- END TARGET OF 3MN VISITORS INDUSTRY FORECASTS PROJECT A YEAR- END TOTAL OF APPROXIMATELY 2.4-2.5MN TOURIST ARRIVALS TO REACH 3MN TARGET, SRI LANKA WOULD NEED TO ATTRACT NEARLY 1.4MN MORE VISITORS IN REMAINING 16 WEEKS OF YEAR

- By NISHEL FERANDO

Sri Lanka's tourism industry continues its resurgence into September, posting a 28.2 percent year-over-year growth in the first week of the month, overwhelmingly credited to a sustained surge in arrivals from neighbouring India.

For the first seven days of the month, the island nation welcomed a total of 37,495 international visitors, which has pushed the nation's total tourist arrivals for the year beyond the 1.6 million mark.