Sri Lanka's August Tourist Arrivals Up 18.7 Pct

September 4, 2015

Tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka jumped 18.7 percent year-on-year in August, with the number of foreign visitors increasing for the 76th straight month since the near three-decade civil war ended in 2009.

Monthly arrivals exceeded 100,000 for the 15th consecutive month in August, while the number of foreign visitors rose by 17.1 percent in the first eight months of the year.

Total arrivals hit a record high in 2014, while revenue from the South Asian island nation's leisure sector also peaked last year.

Both arrivals and annual revenue are expected to hit new highs this year.

Tourism is one of the main foreign exchange earners for Sri Lanka's USD$78.6 billion economy.

(Reuters)