Sri Lanka marked a significant milestone in its tourism sector on Thursday, December 26, 2024, as it welcomed its 2 millionth tourist for the year. This achievement was celebrated at a special event held at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Colombo, with officials from Sri Lanka Tourism on hand to greet the guest. The lucky tourist, Prasan Ingkanunt from Thailand, arrived from Bangkok on a SriLankan Airlines flight, marking the country’s recovery from multiple challenges that had impacted its tourism industry in recent years.
This is only the second time in the country’s history that it has reached 2 million tourist arrivals, the first being in 2018. Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has seen its share of ups and downs since then, including the tragic Easter Sunday attacks in 2019, the global COVID-19 pandemic, and an economic downturn that affected the country’s ability to attract international visitors. Despite these setbacks, Sri Lanka has steadily rebuilt its tourism sector, welcoming 1.4 million visitors in 2023 and now reaching the 2 million mark in 2024.
Sri Lanka Travel Feneteko