Central Bank of Sri Lanka data on Monday showed that the country earned 219 million U.S. dollars from tourism in July.
Priantha Fernando, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman told the media that 143,039 tourists visited the country in July, compared to 47,293 visitor arrivals a year earlier, which generated some 85 million dollars in tourism income.
He added that 1.09 billion dollars were earned from tourism in the first seven months of this year, compared to 764.6 million dollars recorded a year earlier.
According to him, 51,594 tourists arrived between Aug. 1 and 10, and Sri Lanka had received over 800,000 tourists so far this year.
Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is aiming to attract two million visitors in 2023, compared to the previous target of 1.5 million.
Tourism, as one of Sri Lanka’s leading foreign exchange earners, had suffered a setback due to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic and political crises in the South Asian country.
