Tourist arrivals top 34,000 this month : Immigration Controller General

The number of tourist arrivals this month since the introduction of the free visa on arrival programme has been recorded at 34,538, Immigration and Emigration Controller General Pasan Ratnayake said.

Mr. Ratnayake noted that these tourists had visited Sri Lanka from the 48 countries which had been granted free on-arrival visas, with India accounting to a majority of the figures.

According to the Immigration Controller General, more than 7,000 tourists had arrived from India, with UK and China coming in second and third with figures of above 4,000 and 3,000 respectively.

The free on-arrival visa programme had been introduced as a part of the government’s efforts to boost tourist arrivals which faced a huge slump in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday terrorist bombings.

Airline charges including ground handling and fuel costs too had been reduced to draw more tourists to the island.

(Reporting by Damith Wickramasekara)