Tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka up 26-pct in May 2015

Jun 06, 2015 (LBO) - Tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka increased 26 percent from a year earlier to 113,529 in May 2015, with growth in seen in the Chinese and Indian arrivals, data from the state tourist promotion agency showed.





Chinese tourists were up 71 percent to 12,173 while Indian arrivals were up 38.2 percent to 31,764. China is now the second largest source of tourists to Sri Lanka after India at 79,098 visitors in the first five months, up 80 percent from a year earlier.







South Asian tourists increased 28 percent to 33,141. Visitors from Maldives were up 11 percent to 6,705 and Bangladesh was up 17.

9 percent to 1,013 while Pakistani arrivals were down 8.

1 percent to 2,586. Western European arrivals rose 25 percent to 24,497 with UK tourists up 15 percent to 7,954 and Germany up 41 percent to 6,265.







In the five months to May, arrivals were up 14.



5 percent to 714.584.