26. February 2010


 

UK arrivals help Sri Lanka tourism boom

 

Sri Lanka tourism has seen a sharp increase in the number of visitors from the UK. Sri Lanka's Tourism Development Authority says there has been a 25 percent rise in tourist arrivals from the UK since the end of the decades-long civil war between the government and the Tamil Tigers last year. Figures also show that tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka rose by nearly 32 percent in January.

At the height of the conflict with the LTTE visitor numbers from the West dropped sharply, so Sri Lanka was heavily reliant on a regular influx of tourists from Russia who continued to visit despite the unrest. However, the first winter season since the end of the civil war has seen a huge increase of the interest in Sri Lanka from all parts of the world. The fact that no more explosions or attacks in the country have greatly enhanced the tourists' confidence.

 

The government also says the increasing demand from the UK has been helped by the relaxation of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Travel advisory as well as the opening up of major tourist attractions, such as “Yala” National Park and “Arugam Bay” which were closed due to security reasons for years during the conflict between the government troops and the LTTE. Another major reason for the increase in arrivals from London is because of the improved climate for the expatriate Tamils to visit the north and east.

Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/highlights/story/2010/02/100219_london_tourism.shtml