Tourist arrivals from India, the single largest source market for Sri Lanka, rose 28.3 percent YoY to 22,944, boosting total arrivals from the South Asian region 28.3 percent YoY to 22,9444,
However, arrivals from the Maldives fell 13.2 percent YoY to 6,095.
Arrivals from Western Europe were led by the UK and Germany, Sri Lanka’s second and fourth largest source markets. Total arrivals from Western Europe during January amounted to 51,459, up 11.1 percent YoY.
Visitors from France rose 7.9 percent YoY to 9,095 and visitors from Denmark rose 35.7 percent YoY to 2,307.
Tourist arrivals from East Asia grew just 1.5 percent YoY amid moderate growth in Chinese arrivals, which increased 8.9 percent to 11,735.
China is the third largest tourist source market to Sri Lanka.
Arrivals from Japan also rose 9.8 percent YoY to 2,859.
Tourist arrivals from Eastern Europe plunged 17.6 percent YoY to 20,470, amid arrivals from Russia and Ukraine falling 13.6 percent YoY to 9,240 and 48.4 percent to 3,312, respectively.
Both Russia and Ukraine are currently in political and economic turmoil. The respective currencies have faced significant slides against the US dollar.
Meanwhile, arrivals from North America, which includes the U.S.A. and Canada, rose 13 percent YoY to 7,809.
Sri Lanka targets two million tourists at the end of this year and 2.5 million by 2016.
Sri Lanka Tourism follows the UN standard of defining a tourist as a person who stays at least one night in a country and does not exceed his stay period for more than 12 months.
Sri Lanka Travel Feneteko