Sri Lanka banks on India for tourism recovery amidst economic crisis

Monday, March 6, 2023

Sri Lanka is concentrating on reviving its tourism industry and banking on India to become its major contributor in the midst of an economic crisis, Money Control portal reported on the basis of a statement from an executive of Sri Lanka’s top hotel chain.

While arrivals in Sri Lanka have not returned to pre-Covid levels, the island nation is experiencing an increase in Indian visitors.

“India is always in the top five source market for Sri Lanka and at the moment it is ranking number 3. While Russia is leading, it is very seasonal driven. India business is increasing on a monthly basis. In couple of months it will be our number one source market,” said Christian Pertl, Chief Commercial Officer, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, a hospitality brand in Sri Lanka.

He said that in January this year, Sri Lanka had over 100,000 tourists and 15 percent of that came from India. Pre-Covid, he said the arrivals were 2 million tourists and 15-20 percent contribution came from India.

The hotel anticipates 1.6 million arrivals this year, with India accounting for 17-18% of overall visitors to Sri Lanka, driven by MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibits tourism) and weddings.

According to the hotel chain executive, the country is seeing a lot of MICE movement from India, including huge groups from a significant corporation and another group from the Convention Bureau.

Also, weddings are resulting in an increase in tourist activity from India. Cinnamon Hotels, which completed four weddings last year, has been booked for five more this year.

The hotel official said that India is a huge market that they are looking at.

“Indian market is imperative to the world. Indian outbound tourism will reach about $40 billion by end of 2024. Similar to China, India is an important source market for the world tourism economy. Because of its proximity to Sri Lanka, India is one of the most important source markets,” Pertl added.

Many nations’ tourism boards, notably Australia and Singapore, are placing large bets on India. According to a research, India has become the Maldives’ largest source market, with 223,000 visitors in December 2022. With 600,000 visitors, India ranked second in terms of arrivals in Singapore.

According to the Australia Tourism Board, India is anticipated to be the first inbound market to reach pre-Covid levels.

« Back to Page

• SriLankan Airlines Teams up with UATP to Enhance Payment Experience

• SCLB announces commencement of Southern MICE Expo in May

• Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts Invites Tourists to Enjoy a Spectacular Summer in Sri Lanka

• Sri Lanka sees huge tourist boom in April 2024

• Marlon Abeyakoon Named GM Of NH Collection Maldives Havodda: Elevating Luxury In Island Paradise