The latest data available showed that Sri Lanka has earned US$ 181.0 million from the tourism trade in September 2024, up from US$ 152.2 million generated in the same months last year when the arrivals were on its way to recover to its pre-pandemic levels.
However, what the country generated in September was at least US$ 100 million lower from a month ago in August as arrivals slowed. This brought the cumulative nine months earnings from the trade to US$ 2,348.0 million, up by 61.2 percent from what the trade earned in the same period in 2023.
In September, Sri Lanka welcomed 122,140 visitors compared to 111,938 a year ago but down notably from the 164, 609 in August.