Tourism earnings in the first quarter of 2023 were at $ 529.8 million, reflecting a 9.8% increase from the corresponding period of last year, whilst March earnings stood at $ 198.1 million, the latest Central Bank data released showed.

Although the tourism industry was hit by multiple challenges, post-Easter Sunday 2019, the sector has proven again its resilience with a remarkable resurgence amidst the adverse publicity of political and economic crises.

“Tourism ministry efforts to make tourism a thriving industry to overcome the economic crisis and be a key pillar of the economy is now evident.

The industry has spoken to itself as a major contributor to economic recovery. Sri Lanka Tourism embarked this year, will bring its results by the end of the year,” Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said.

For the first time after 2019, Sri Lanka Tourism recorded over 100,000 tourist arrivals in three consecutive months of 2023, whilst March recorded the highest post-COVID arrivals figure of 125,495.

Just last week, Sri Lanka Tourism upwardly revised the tourist arrivals forecast for 2023 from 1.55 million to an ambitious goal of luring 2 million – a move influenced by the remarkable rise in March arrivals