Sharp rise in Chinese visitors to Sri Lanka
View(s):Sri Lanka recently welcomed its 100,000th visitor from China, reflecting surging arrival trends since local authorities stepped up a campaign to attract the Chinese.
Visitors from there to Sri Lanka have soared in the past four years from just 10,340 in 2010 to the 100,000 mark. Chinese arrivals in January to September 2014 saw a 141 per cent jump to 94,994 against the 2013 corresponding period.
“There are three elements that are attracting the Chinese to Sri Lanka: This is a peaceful country and it is very green, the people are friendly and there is a lot of wild life and beaches,” noted Bhaswara Gunaratne, Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism (SLT). He said SLT did many promotions in China over the past 18 months which are paying dividends and arrivals should “easily peak over 120,000” by the end of the year.
From nowhere, China has risen to the third highest source country in tourism. Sri Lanka’s largest source, India represented 170,671 arrivals in January-September 2014, the UK – 107,330 and Germany 75,133 in the same period with all markets recording growth rates between 4 to 27 per cent, un-comparable with the unprecedented 3 digit growth from China.
Shafraz Fazley, Managing Director of Viluxur Holidays-Sri Lanka, while agreeing that SLT promotions have helped boost arrivals believes social media and blogs have played a bigger role. “Chinese visitors take pictures and put it on blogs and that attracts their friends. Sri Lanka’s attraction is essential gems, mountains and culture,” he said adding that during a 7-night trip, the visitors are often on the road.
“They stay a night here, a night there – rarely two nights in one place,” he said, noting that buying gems is one of their fantasies.
Viluxur, which has a huge market share in the Maldives also for Chinese visitors, has so far handled 1,000 Chinese guests this month up todate (this week) and 700 last month.