January 5, 2022
1 min read

SRI LANKA Tourism: Indians Return

To get more visitors from the neighbouring nation, flag carrier SriLankan Airlines launched a ‘Buy One, Get One Free Ticket’ campaign for Indian tourists…reports Susitha Fernando

Although the Sri Lankan tourism sector is still struggling due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the island nation received the highest number of foreign tourists in December 2021, with majority of the holidaymakers from India.

Despite shutting of borders in the wake of the health crisis for several months, a total of 194,495 tourists arrived in the island nation, with over one-fourth of them from India, said the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA).

The SLTDA said that India topped the list with 56,268 tourists, followed by Russia (16,268) and the UK (16,646), Germany (12,442), Ukraine (7,037), France (6,549), the US (6,124), Kazakhstan (5,754), Canada (5,079) and China (2,417).

After witnessing two Covid-19 waves, Sri Lanka’s tourism was further ravaged by the third wave of the pandemic in April 2021.

However one of the top tourist destinations in the world, Sri Lanka gradually opened for holidaymakers and a number of promotions were introduced in connection.

To get more visitors from the neighbouring nation, flag carrier SriLankan Airlines launched a ‘Buy One, Get One Free Ticket’ campaign for Indian tourists.

The airlines also started several weekly flights to Chennai and Mumbai, while operations commenced to Bengaluru, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Trivandrum, and Cochin.

In August 2021, the country opened its borders for fully vaccinated travellers and the next month it also removed the mandatory on-arrival PCR tests.

Sri Lanka’s tourism sector, the third highest foreign income earner, suffered a massive blow with the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks targeting Christian churches and five-star hotels in April 2019, killed nearly 250 people, including foreigners.

The country which was recognized as Lonely Planet’s number 1 travel destination in October 2019 was planning to attract 2.5 million tourists compared to its 2018 figure 2.3 million.

Sri Lanka recorded over 1.9 million tourist arrivals in 2019 earning around $3.5 billion.

As the pandemic raged, the sector further suffered in 2020, with the figure plunging to 570,000.

ALSO READ-SRI LANKA 2022: Financial Crisis Deepens

Previous Story

Japan Prime Minister cancels provisional visit to US and Australia

Next Story

Suspense over non-Yadav OBC votes in UP, which way they are moving?

Latest from -Top News

No Talks Till Terror Ends: India to Pakistan

The MEA’s strong response came at a time when Pakistan, pushed on the backfoot by India’s decisive Operation Sindoor, has suddenly started talking about its intent on having peace talks with India….reports

BNP ramps up poll demand

Chief Adviser Yunus had earlier promised elections in December 2025, but the timeline has since been pushed back first to February 2026 and then to June 2026, fuelling suspicion and dissatisfaction among

Saudi backs India’s strategic outreach

In a series of engagements, the Indian delegation met Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State Adel Al-Jubeir and other senior officials. A high-profile Indian all-party parliamentary delegation, led by BJP MP Baijayant Jay

India clears stealth fighter project

New execution model paves way for private sector involvement in India’s ambitious stealth aircraft programme; Army showcases next-gen drone warfare systems. In a landmark decision bolstering India’s defence self-reliance, Defence Minister Rajnath

ASEAN lauds India’s firm stance on terrorism

The ASEAN Secretary-General reaffirmed the bloc’s resolve to deepen collaboration with India—a comprehensive strategic partner—in security and counter-terrorism efforts. The Indian all-party Parliamentary delegation, led by Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Jha,
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Kuwait Embraces ‘Incredible India’ at Embassy’s Tourism Event

Eminent travel bloggers and travellers from Kuwait also shared their

Greece resumes tourism from May 14

“Holidaymakers will either have to be vaccinated or show a