Surging tourist arrivals from China may tip the scales in terms of top positions in the Sri Lankan arrivals calendar. As of January to October 2014, Chinese arrivals totalled 107,888, up 138.9 per cent from the previous 10-month period against top source market India totalling 196,819 (growth of18.3 per cent from last year) and second placed, the UK with 117,442 (up 4.4 per cent last year).
India is still clearly ahead in the equation but China with growth fluctuating from an average 40 per cent to over 200 per cent (in January this year) is fast catching up the UK whose average has been less than 10 per cent in 2014. UK was the biggest source market followed by Germany until India took over some years ago.
Visitors from China (which also includes Hong Kong) to Sri Lanka have soared in the past four years from just 10,340 in 2010 to the over 100,000 now.
In a recent interview, Bhaswara Gunaratne, Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism (SLT) explained the reasons for the rise in Chinese arrivals. “There are three elements that are attracting the Chinese to Sri Lanka: This is peaceful country and it is very green, the people are friendly and there is a lot of wild life and beaches,” 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. Growth rates from the top 10 source countries excluding Sri Lanka have ranged from 4 to 27 per cent, no comparison with the unprecedented 3 digit growth from China. Tourism analysts say with two months remaining (November-December China could edge out the UK as the second largest source market this year.
Shafraz Fazley, Managing Director of Viluxur HolidaysSri Lanka, says social media and blogs have played a major role in drawing the Chinese market. “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.
Sri Lanka Travel Feneteko