Tourism Sector

Chinese delegation calls on SLTPB to extend support to boost tourism

A group of 30 travel Agents from China paid a courtesy visit to Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) recently, to enhance tourist arrivals from China, and also to give their support to promote the destination as a number one travel destination in the world, offering everything that an interested traveller may require.


They held a cordial discussion with senior SLTPB officials and expressed positive feedback on Sri Lanka, impressed by its culture, beauty and its world renowned hospitality. The tour was organized by Universal Inlanka Travel Service (Pvt ) Ltd.


The meeting was held under the guidance of Madubhani Perera, Director Marketing, SLTPB and Dushan Wickramasuriya, Director PR, SLTPB. Several topics were discussed as to increase charter flights between Sri Lanka and China, and more promotional activities.

Seams its slowly recovering the arrivals

Final decision on cutting airfares to boost tourism likely today

The government is likely to reach a final decision today on measures to bring down the costly airfare structure at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), at a high level meeting between Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and aviation sector stakeholders.


Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Johanne Jayaratne last week revealed that the government is considering cutting down ground handling charges by 30-40 percent while reducing aviation fuel prices and embarkation levy in order to bring down airfares at BIA in a bid to support the tourism sector in the aftermath of Easter Sunday attacks.
He noted that the embarkation levy may be reduced from US $60 to US $40 per tourist. However, Jayaratne said that these proposed measures would be in force for a limited time period of six months.


“All of this will encourage more airlines to come to Sri Lanka,” Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs Minister John Amaratunga said.


Top officials of SLTDA, Airport & Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Limited, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, SriLankan Airlines, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Finance Ministry are invited to attend today’s meeting at the Temple Trees chaired by the Prime Minister.


Advisor to the National Policies, Economic Affairs, Resettlement & Rehabilitation, Northern Province Development and Youth Affairs Ministry, R. Paskaralingam at an earlier meeting chaired by Finance Ministry Secretary Dr. R H S Samaratunga had indicated the government was determined to cut the ground handling charges as it significantly contributed to high airfares structure at BIA.



Speaking of reducing aviation fuel prices, the CPC officials informed that they already had reduced the prices and CPC was running on thin margins in supplying fuel to airlines.
However, speaking to Mirror Business CAA Director General H.M.C Nimalsiri said BIA has the highest jet fuel rates in the region.


“In relation to ground handling and cost of aviation fuel, we have received complaints from airlines noting that those charges are very high,” he said.He stressed that both ground handling charges and aviation fuel rates need to be brought down on par with the regional rates in order to remain competitive with other tourist destinations in the region. Nimalsiri opined that the country needs to look at increasing revenue from tourists by offering various products and services instead of focusing on collecting multiple charges and taxes at the point of entry.
He pointed out that high entry cost could misinterpret Sri Lanka as a high-cost destination for tourists. The airfares from Europe to Sri Lanka are the most expensive, compared with the other key tourist destination in the South and Southeast Asian regions, according to a recent study by AG SEP Research.


In the aftermath of Easter Sunday attacks, 78 weekly inbound flights were cancelled, which led to over 300 flight cancellations per month amid booking cancellations and slowdown in forward bookings.


Nimalsiri noted that theses airlines will resume their usual flights from mid of September targeting the winter season.

The average daily tourist arrivals figures to the country improved to around 2 300 - 2 500 in June compared to 1 200 average daily tourist arrivals in May.

Sri Lanka claims top spot in lonely planet travel destination for 2019

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Sri Lanka secured the top spot in the Lonely Planet’s best travel destinations list of countries to visit in 2019 despite the recent Easter Sunday attacks.

The travel publication, maintained Sri Lanka as number one, while warning readers to check the latest travel advisories of their governments before travelling to the island nation.

“Sri Lanka is decidedly having its moment in the equatorial sun and change is coming swiftly. Already notable to intrepid travellers for its mix of religions and cultures, its timeless temples, its rich and accessible wildlife, its growing surf scene and its people who defy all odds by their welcome and friendliness after decades of civil conflict, this is a country revived”. ,” Lonely Planet said.

“There’s now more than ever for families, adrenaline junkies, eco-tourists, wellness seekers and foodies of all budgets. Even the north and east, including areas previously off limits, difficult to reach or lacking in services, deliver new discoveries.” it also added.

Meanwhile, Germany, Zimbabwe, Panama, Kyrgyzstan, Jordan, Indonesia, Belarus, São Tomé and Príncipe and Belize have been listed as other top global destinations.

Looks promising news.
(Decision to Buy Hotel shares is not a bad idea anymore).

Sri Lanka to cut embarkation tax by US$10 to boost tourism

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ECONOMYNEXT - Sri Lanka is planning to cut the embarkation tax on tourists by 10 US dollars to boost tourism in the wake of Easter Sunday attacks, an official said.

Vice Chairman of Sri Lanka Airport and Aviation Services Ltd Priyantha Kariyapperuma said the embarkation tax will lower ticket prices and make Sri Lanka more affordable.

The budget for 2019 hiked the embarkation tax to 60 US dollars from April 01, about 10,500 rupees per passenger at the current exchange rate.

Malaysia charges 40 ringgit (about 9.67 US dollar)or 1,750 rupees per passenger. For ASEAN region it is half.

In an ex-Colombo ticket to Malaysia, about half the ticket cost is taxes.

There has also been a proposal to cut handling fees. Handing fees go to SriLankan Airlines, which is suffering losses. Handling fees are a key source of profits for the airline. (Colombo/July05/2019)

Govt. gives fresh boost for tourism

* Cabinet approval to reduce Ground Handling Charges, Aviation Fuel, Embarkation levy for six months
* CPC to be told to sell fuel at the same price as Chennai airport

Cabinet has given approval for a slew of charges including Ground Handling, Aviation Fuel and Embarkation levy to be reduced for six months to assist the tourism industry to recover after the Easter Sunday attacks.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe presented the Cabinet paper on Sunday, according to a short statement on the Cabinet papers released by the Government Information Department yesterday. In the Cabinet paper he had proposed to instruct the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) to sell fuel at the same price as the Chennai airport.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) together with the Prime Minister’s office, Tourism Minister John Amaratunga and the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka prepared the Cabinet paper for the reduction of Ground Handling Charges, Aviation Fuel, and the Embarkation levy for six months.

In 2018, approximately 2.3 million tourists arrived and spent a total of 25 million hotel nights in the country while generating an income of $ 4.4 billion. More than 98% of tourists to Sri Lanka are currently brought by international airlines. By April 2018, 29 airlines were serving Sri Lanka offering 300 flights per week, the statement by SLTDA said.

However, following the 21 April Easter Sunday attacks, the connectivity was reduced to 239 flights per week resulting in a total of 41 flights cancellations which amounts to a loss of seat supply by 8,000 per week from six countries – China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Oman, and Thailand.

A total of 11 foreign airlines reduced their flight frequencies to BIA while one airline (Rossiya – Russian Airline) withdrew completely (two flights/week) resulting in a complete loss of direct air connectivity with Russia. Most of the airlines which reduced frequencies are low-cost carriers.

Accordingly, the direct and indirect negative impact of the Easter Sunday attacks per day is approximately Rs. 12 million and Rs. 51 million respectively.

Given the need to resurrect the tourism industry, which was badly affected by the Easter Sunday attacks, the SLTDA took prompt action to work with the Prime Minister’s office as well as the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs and the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka to draft a Cabinet paper and initiate the implementation of the following reductions in Aviation-related discounts in order to encourage airlines to reduce the cost of airline tickets and combine these specially priced tickets with the discounts being offered by hotels and restaurants in Sri Lanka.

“The positive and immediate action taken by the Government, especially by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Minister John Amaratunga and the Civil Aviation Director General H.M.C Nimalsiri, in response to the urgent request made by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, comes at a critical time and is most appreciated,” said SLTDA Chairman Johanne Jayaratne.

“The Authority will be working closely with the Board of Airline Representatives (BAR), and the Sri Lanka Association of Airline Representatives (SLAAR) to ensure that these lowered rates are reflected in the airline ticket pricing going forward,” he added.

Government taking maximum effort to recover the tourism in the country and Sri Lanka already experiencing the benefits of those positive moves.

Hope to see usual tourist arrival archive in near future.

Free visa on arrival programme being revived with new background checks

The free visa on arrival programme, which was to be implemented in April but was suspended following the Easter attacks, will be implemented soon, with new background checks for security reasons.

PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has instructed Minister John Amaratunga to prepare a cabinet paper to revive the already approved free visa on arrival program. Amaratunga told a press conference today that he has already instructed his Secretary to prepare the Cabinet paper.

Since the original free visa on arrival programme was prone to misuse, the Ministry is in the process of developing a system where they can track the whereabouts of passengers as soon as they book a ticket to Sri Lanka. If that person has a bad record, they will inform the immigration and emigration department (check this institution) not to allow the particular person.

Tourists from 41 countries will benefit from this programme including those from USA, UK, Australia, EU and Japan.

India and China, Sri Lanka’s two biggest tourism source markets, are not included in the original list of 41, but may be added later based on the success of the programme.

It is widely known that a large number of Indian and Chinese nationals are working in Sri Lanka illegally by overstaying their visas.

The Government is targeting to bring down 2.5 million tourists this year through this programme, in spite of the Easter attacks impact on tourism.

The government is doing the right things and hope they will get enough traction soon.

(Even I am trying to resuscitate one of the joint projects back to life, which had to put to the backburner for obvious reasons).

I have seen some good and encouraging Vlogs on Youtube recently and I think we should catch them all in one bunch and take on an "all-expenses-paid" holiday around the country but allowing them to report freely.

No conditions attached.

They have healthy subscribers and viewers, and they can be turned into real traffic someday soon.

And the other thing is to eliminate touts on streets who are harassing tourists.

Get both uniformed and plain cloth tourist police on important locations to see an end to the menace.

Good news are coming from all over and we could expect the outcome of those soon.  

Sri Lanka ranked ‘Best Island in the World’ by Travel + Leisure

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Travel + Leisure, a US-based travel magazine which has 4.8 million readers worldwide, has ranked Sri Lanka Number 1 in its list of ‘The 15 Best Islands in the World’ released yesterday (10).

Sri Lanka received the highest score of 92.12 out of 100, with Palawan in the Philippines and Bali in Indonesia being ranked 2nd and 3rd in the list respectively.

Travel + Leisure noted that Sri Lanka is recovering from the impact of the Easter attacks and that the island had not lost any of its beauty.

“After the terrorist attacks in April, Sri Lanka’s booming tourism industry has taken a hit, but the island country is on the mend — and as glorious as ever to visit. It’s worth clearing your calendar to spend as much time as possible on this 25,000-square-mile jewel, located off the coast of India.”

The magazine made special note of the wildlife attractions of Sri Lanka.

“Animal enthusiasts can explore its national parks and spot wildlife including leopards, elephants, and peacocks, while its sprawling tea plantations offer views out over the island’s lush, green hills. You could happily spend weeks on these inland adventures, but you won’t want to miss the coast, where divers, snorkelers, and waders alike revel in the cerulean waters that whales, dolphins, and sea turtles are lucky enough to call home.”

Any tourist will definitly attract when there are positive initiatives

Online booking facility would be more important on the list I believe.

John outlines numerous initiatives taken to develop tourist hotspots

The Government has taken a number of new initiatives to develop tourist hotspots in the country to facilitate and encourage more tourists to visit Sri Lanka.

Tourism Development and Wildlife Minister John Amaratunga this week outlined that the new facilities and developments at popular destinations across the country included Arugam Bay, Yala, Ella and Nuwara Eliya.

According to the Minister, a few extra entrances will be opened at Yala National Park this month to reduce the traffic generated at the main entrances. In addition, he said they would open a new ticketing counter as the online booking facility was not available at present.

“We are opening two new circuit bungalows and other essential facilities like lavatories at the Yala National Park. The Tourism Development and Wildlife Ministry Secretary and the Wildlife Department Direct General are now working on it,” Amaratunga added.

The Minister also said that Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) would award liquor licenses to hotels, restaurants and home stay units operating in Arugam Bay, a popular surfing hotspot for many tourists.

Furthermore, he said that they had developed a new concept called ‘agro tourism’ in Nuwara Eliya. “A person who is travelling Nuwara Eliya will now have the opportunity of visiting this park, where they grow various types of vegetables, observing how they are being treated and learn about the technical side,” he added.

Pointing out that there had been a quite a number of complaints regarding high ticket prices of heritage sites, the Minister a discussion would be held shortly with the Cultural Affairs Ministry with regard to a reasonable rate and to look into the possibility of a round trip ticket to enable tourists to visit multiple heritage sites.

He also said that they were working on the high priced railway tickets to Ella being sold to tourists. “There are so many complaints on railway tickets being sold to tourists at a higher price than the normal ticket rate. We are talking to the authorities to ensure that such incidents won’t happen again,” the Minister stressed.

He pointed out that the Government had heavily focused on connectivity measures to ensure tourists could explore the destination smoothly.

“We have worked on both air and road connectivity over the past several years. We recently commenced the development work of the Palaly Airport and similarly the highways are now under construction. A number of luxury buses have also been ordered, particularly for tourists,” the Minister said.

Sri Lanka tourist arrivals recovery continues with boost from India

ECONOMYNEXT- Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals have increased to an average 4,000 a day in the second week of July from 3,200 arrivals a day a week earlier, recovering further from the Easter Sunday attack with more visitors from India, a top official said.



"There's a significant increase in arrivals now, and we are averaging about 4,000 arrivals per day," Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau (SLTPB) Chairman Kishu Gomes told EconomyNext.



This is a 45 percent fall from the 7,026 average daily arrivals from July 2018.



Arrivals had plunged 71 percent in May 2019, immediately after the Jihadist terror attack on churches and hotels, to around 1,200 a day.



It had then recovered to 2,102 arrivals a day in June, which was a 57 percent fall.



Gomes said that tourists from neighbouring India have contributed most towards the growth seen in the second week of July.



In June too, the highest number of tourists (15,048) came from India, which has traditionally been Sri Lanka's largest tourism market.



The industry is expecting more Indian visitors, after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit to Sri Lanka in June, the launch of budget promotional packages and Air India restarting its third daily flight to Colombo from the second week of July in a show of solidarity for its neighbour.



A festival in August, which will include participation of Bollywood actors and Indian cricket stars is expected to boost arrivals further, Gomes had earlier said.



SLTPB is about to spend 416 million rupees on a public relations campaign and 500 million rupees on a short-term marketing campaign to drive global arrivals to Sri Lanka.



The cabinet has also approved a cut in aviation fuel sale prices, ground handling charges and an embarkation tax to reduce air fares to Sri Lanka.



The Easter Sunday attacks had targeted three luxury hotels in Colombo, while an attack on a fourth had failed.



Of the 259 persons killed in the attacks, 45 were foreigners.



Tourism advisories recommending against travel to Sri Lanka which were implemented immediately after the attacks had been relaxed in May and June, faster than many expected, helping the country recover faster, the central bank has said.



(COLOMBO, 20 July, 2019)

Tourist arrivals down 46.9-pct in July

ECONOMYNEXT- Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals for July were down 46.9 percent to 115,701 from a year earlier following the Easter Sunday attacks, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority said.

The arrivals in July were an improvement from a 57 percent fall in June and a 71 percent fall in May.



“The market has significantly shown progress over the past few weeks and we are happy to notice that the occupancy rates are increasing in hotels across Sri Lanka," SLTDA Director General Upali Ratnayake said.



"Further, we are hopeful that the industry will have a satisfactory season from October onwards,” he said.



Arrivals in July were a 83 percent growth from a month earlier.



The Easter Sunday attack by Jihadist terrorists on three churches and three luxury hotels killed over 250 persons including 44 foreigners.



Global travel publications such as Lonely Planet and Travel and Leisure have continued to support Sri Lanka as one of the world's top destinations despite the terror attacks.



Foreign states removed their travel advisories on Sri Lanka in June.



The tourism industry is recovering faster than expected, analysts say.



The Sri Lankan government is yet to launch a public relations and advertising campaign to generate interest in Sri Lanka due to delays in the procurement process.



However, a budget promotions campaign was launched in India, while the government also removed visa fees and lowered airport charges to reduce airfares to Sri Lanka.

(Colombo/Aug02/2019)

This on-arrival visa  will be boost the recovery of tourist arrivals.

Chinese tourists streaming back with free visa programme

By the end of the first week of the Government’s new free visa on arrival programme, Chinese tourist arrivals witnessed the highest growth, suggesting that the former second biggest tourism source market may regain its position this month.

Around 3,099 Chinese tourists entered the country from 1 to 7 August, and if the trend continues, there would be a growth rate of 70-80% from the 6,926 Chinese tourists who entered the country in July.

A total of 3,496 Chinese tourists visited Sri Lanka in June, which was a significant improvement from the arrival figure of 1,589 recorded in May.

China has long been Sri Lanka’s second biggest tourist generator with 268,952 tourists arriving in Sri Lanka in 2017. However, the arrival numbers from China took a massive hit following the Easter Sunday attacks and the resultant travel advisories as well as security concerns.

During the first week of the free visa programme, the country saw the overall arrival of 34,538 tourists from 48 countries. The total arrival figure for July was 115,701. However, the tourism numbers are expected to increase as the free visa programme receives greater attention from international markets and travel plans are made weeks and months in advance, especially for distant destinations.

Followed by China, Sri Lanka’s biggest tourist generator India looks likely to see the second highest growth rate of around 60% in August and has already seen 7,274 arrivals from 1 to 7 August, while its total July arrivals stood at 18,309 tourists.

France recorded 2,798 arrivals last week, compared to 7,142 arrivals in July.

China now moved up the arrival rankings from the fifth spot in July to the third spot in the first week of August, while both India and France remained the same at the first and forth spots, respectively. The UK and Germany also retained their positions in the top five tourism markets with 4,587 and 2,249 tourists, respectively.

The free visa on arrival facility was implemented by the Government of Sri Lanka on 1 August for 48 countries in Australasia, Europe, and North America. The initiative is set to last six months in order to boost tourism in the country.

Initially scheduled to be implemented in April, the programme was suspended following the Easter attacks.

The Government targets to bring down around 2.5 million tourists this year through this programme.

Colombo bursting with tourists in August: minister

ECONOMNEXT - Sri Lanka's capital Colombo is fully booked with a convention involving a Bora religious dignitary and arrivals may top 170,000 in August, or 15 percent below last year's level, officials said.

"Most hotels in formal and informal sector are fully booked," Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said.

"Apartment have been booked."

Minister Amaratunga said about 30,000 Bora tourists wanted to come but Colombo and environs did not have enough rooms.

"Some have fallen back. Definitely 20,000 to 25,000 are to come."

Sri Lanka's tourism sector was hit by Easter Sunday attacks by an extremist organization, most of whose members have now been arrested.

Key Western nations, whose intelligence officials were working with Sri Lanka's authorities rapidly withdrew travel advisories as the network was shutdown within weeks. In May arrivals dropped 60 percent.

Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Johanne Jayaratne said he expected arrivals to top 170,000 in August.

Last year Sri Lanka got about 200,000 visitors, indicating that the August arrivals would only be about 10 percent below 2018.

Jayaratne said he expected tourist arrivals to reach last year's levels by October.

The winter season beach tourism season involving Sri Lanka's Western and Southern coasts starts in October after monsoons end. Until about September Sri Lanka's East Coast is sunny.

Jayaratne said Sri Lanka is now projecting about 2.1 million tourists to arrive in 2018, down from 2.3 million last year, or 10 percent down.

"Sri Lanka is recovering faster than other countries that have experienced similar events,"Amaratunga said.

"I am thankful fo the armed forces, police and intelligence and all those involved."

Sri Lanka's hotels slashed prices to draw visitors. Jayaratne said total earnings would be more than 10 percent down due to price cuts.

Sri Lanka is now more attractive and comparable to some East Asian destinations after price cuts.

Politically influential hoteliers in the capital kept prices high for for Colombo city hotels until last year making the city compare unfavourably with some East Asian destinations with better service. (Colombo/Aug31/2019)

සංචාරක පැමිණීමෙහි කැපී පෙනෙන වර්ධනයක්. අගෝස්තුවේ දී එක්ලක්ෂ හතළිස් තුන්දහසක් ඇවිත්

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2019 අගෝස්තු මාසයේ දී ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට පැමිණි විදෙස් සංචාරකයින්ගේ සංඛ්‍යාව 143,587 ක් බව ශ්‍රී ලංකා සංචාරක සංවර්ධන අධිකාරියේ නවතම සංඛ්‍යාලේඛන අනාවරණය කර සිටී. මෙය 2019 ජූලි මාසයේ දී මෙරටට පැමිණි 115,701 ක්වූ විදෙස් සංචාරකයින් ප්‍රමාණය හා සැසඳීමේ දී 24%ක ඉහළ යාමකි.

මේ අතර 2018 අගෝස්තු මාසයේ දී පැමිණි සංචාරකයින් ප්‍රමාණය වන 200,359 ට වඩා 2019 අගෝස්තු මාසයේ පැමිණි සංචාරකයින් ප්‍රමාණය 28.3%කින් පහළ ගොස් තිබේ. කෙසේ වෙතත් පාස්කු ඉරිදා ප්‍රහාරයෙන් අනතුරුව වාර්ෂික පදනම මත 2019 මැයි මාසයේ දී 70.8%කින් පහළ ගිය සංචාරක පැමිණීම අගෝස්තු මාසය වන විට ක්‍රමයෙන් 28.3% ක් දක්වා අඩුවීම යහපත් ප්‍රවණතාවක් ලෙසින් දැක්විය හැකිය.

මෙහිදී නිරීක්ෂණය කළ හැකි තවත් සුවිශේෂී කරුණක් වනුයේ 2019 අගෝස්තු මාසයේ දී පැමිණි සංචාරකයින්ගෙන් 1/4 ක්ම ඉන්දියානුවන් වීමයි. එය 37,568 කි. එසේම මෙම ප්‍රමාණය 2018 අගෝස්තු මාසයේ දී ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට පැමිණි 32,115 ක්වූ ඉන්දියානුවන් සංඛ්‍යාවට වඩා 17%ක වර්ධනයකි.

අගෝස්තු මාසයේ දී පැමිණි සමස්ත සංචාරකයින් ප්‍රමාණයෙන් 51%ක් ආසියා ශාන්තිකර කලාපයේ රටවලින් මෙරටට පැමිණ ඇති අතර යුරෝපාකරයෙන් පැමිණි සංචාරකයින් ප්‍රමාණය 38%ක් ලෙසින් සටහන් වේ.

මෙම සංඛ්‍යාලේඛනවලට අනුව 2019 වසරේ මුල් මාස 08 තුළ දී ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට පැමිණි මුළු විදෙස් සංචාරකයින් සංඛ්‍යාව 1,267,737 ක් වන  අතර එය පසුගිය වසර හා සැසඳීමේ දී 19.9% ක පහළ යාමකි.

Hope recovery on tourism industry continue this year.

Tourist arrivals from Russia hit all-time high

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Tourist arrivals from Russia have hit an all-time high in 2019, with its flag carrier Aeroflot’s expansion of services to Colombo playing a key part.

As per provisional data, Russian tourists last year amounted to around 86,549 and surpassed the previous highest of 69,718, achieved in 2014. In comparison to 2018, last year figure was a 34% increase.

As per the first 11 months data of 2019, Russian tourist arrivals were 68,990, up by 29.6%. In November, the figure jumped 79.7% to 14,537 and in December it hit a record of 17,559.

“The airline has been doing really well since they resumed operations following the Easter Sunday attacks. There has been a steady growth in the number of Russian tourists coming to Sri Lanka,” Euro Asia Tours Ltd. Managing Director Passenger Sales Agent for Aeroflot-Russian Airlines Sam Wickramasinghe told the Daily FT.

He said the five weekly flights using an Airbus A330 aircraft under the winter schedule effective from October through end March this year has been extremely lucrative.

“We have over 300 passengers coming to Sri Lanka in each flight. This winter season has been really good since Aeroflot resumed operations in July 2019,” Wickramasinghe added.

Although unable to provide figures in terms of forward bookings for the rest of the winter season, Wickramasinghe said that the numbers are increasing with the improved security situation and the general positive outlook of the Sri Lankan public.

The airline, which stopped flights to Colombo a decade ago, re-introduced five weekly flights between Moscow and Colombo in October 2018, but stopped operations for three months post Easter Sunday attacks and recommenced in July 2019.

Following the Easter attacks, tourist arrivals from Russia slumped by 33.2% to 844 in May. It then gradually recovered from 711 Russian tourists in June to 1,162 arrivals in July, up 11.9% compared to the same period in 2018. Subsequent months saw arrivals up between 13.5% and 86.1% in comparison with 2018 levels.

He pointed out that the nine-hour flight has certainly improved inbound tourism from Russia to Sri Lanka and will also be a major boost for business travel to the island country in future.

Aeroflot also promotes Colombo as a vital transit destination, Wickramasinghe added.

Thanks Nirmal

2019 දී සංචාරකයින් ලක්ෂ 19 ක් ඇවිත්. 18% ක පහළ යාමක්
January, 7, 2020

පසුගිය 2019 වසර තුළ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට පැමිණ ඇති මුළු විදෙස් සංචාරකයින් සංඛ්‍යාව 1,913,702 ක් බව ශ්‍රී ලංකා සංචාරක සංවර්ධන අධිකාරියේ නවතම සංඛ්‍යාලේඛන පෙන්වා දේ.

මේ අතර පාස්කු ප්‍රහාරයෙන් පසු අඩපණ වූ මෙරට සංචාරක කර්මාන්තය යළිත් වරක් සුපුරුදු තත්ත්වයට පැමිණීම පෙන්නුම් කරමින් 2019 දෙසැම්බර් මාසයේ දී 241,663 ක සංචාරකයින් ප්‍රමාණයක් මෙරටට පැමිණ තිබේ.

සමස්තයක් වශයෙන් ගත් කල, 2019 වසරේ පැමිණි සංචාරකයින් ප්‍රමාණය 2018 වසරේ දී පැමිණි 2,333,796 ක්වූ සංචාරකයින් සංඛ්‍යාව හා සැසඳීමේ දී 18% ක පහළ යාමකි.

කෙසේ වෙතත් අප්‍රේල් 21 පාස්කු ප්‍රහාර මාලාවත් සමඟ 2019 මැයි මාසයේ දී පෙර වසරේ අනුරූප මාසයට සාපේක්ෂව 70% කින් පහළ ගිය සංචාරක පැමිණීම 2019 දෙසැම්බර් මාසය වන විට 4.5% ක් දක්වා අඩුවීම ඉතා හොඳ ලක්ෂණයකි.

2019 වසරේ දී වැඩිම සංචාරකයින් පිරිසක් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට පැමිණි රටවල් සැලකීමේ දී ඉන්දියාව 355,002 ක්, එක්සත් රාජධානිය 198,776 ක්, චීනය 167,863 ක්, ජර්මනිය 134,899 ක් හා ඕස්ට්‍රේලියාව 92,674 ක් පරිදි මුල් ස්ථානවල රැදී සිටී.