Sri Lanka tourist arrivals up 20-pct in Nov

Dec 19, 2012 (LBO) - Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals rose 20.1 percent to 109,202 in November from a year earlier with arrivals up to November up 16 percent to 883,353 data from the state tourist promotion office showed. Tourists from South Asia rose 9.

6 percent to 26,649 helped by a recovery of the Indian market which has been hit this year after a tightening of immigration controls amid a rise in nationalism and militarization of the island.

The Indian rupee has also weakened over the past year.

Arrivals up to November from South Asia rose 3.9 percent to 220,114.

Indian visitors rose 13.9 percent to 17,625 with arrivals up to November rising 3.9 percent to 220,114.

Sri Lanka's tourist promotion office said on December 18, the 950,000 visitor, marking the annual target had arrived in the island from Poland.

Corrected total arrivals up to Nov 2012 Arrivals from Western Europe rose 17.2 percent to 35,892 in November with the total in the 11 months also up 17.0 percent to 329,364.

Visitors from UK rose 12.9 percent to 10,828 in November from a year earlier. Arrivals from Germany rose 16.6 percent to 8,161, from France up 16.3 percent to 5,441, from the Netherlands up 10.

6 percent to