Lanka expecting 100,000 tourists in July, says PM

Colombo: Sri Lanka is expecting at least 100,000 tourists to visit the island nation in July after arrivals saw a decline following the April 21 Easter Sunday terror attacks, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said here on Monday.
“Because of the swift action taken by the government, arrivals rose to 63,000 in June from 37,000 in May,” Xinhua news agency quoted Wickremesinghe as saying at an event.
The Prime Minister said arrivals were expected to grow to 100,000 by end of July and a further 125,000 in August.
Sri Lanka’s tourism sector was one of the worst affected following the suicide explosions on April 21 which killed over 250 people.
The Tourism Ministry, however, in a statement last week said that arrivals were getting back to normal and the island was aiming to attract at least 2.5 million tourists by the end of the year.
India, Britain and China are the leading markets for Sri Lanka’s tourism. (IANS)