It is reported that more than 6,000 tourists from five ships arrived at the Hambantota International Port (HIP) in the two months of November and December 2023.
Last November, ‘Azamara Journey’ arrived in Sri Lanka with 620 passengers, and on December 10, Mein Schiff 5 arrived in Sri Lanka from Muscat with 2200 passengers.
The ‘Celebrity Millennium’ carrying 3500 passengers and the ‘Nautica’ carrying 498 guests on the 19th are the other ships that arrived in Sri Lanka in the last two months. .
So far this year, Hambantota Port has handled approximately 22 passenger ships. It is reported that most of them came from Chennai via Cordelia Cruise Lines. The cruise service, which offers holiday packages to Indian and international tourists, has visited Hambantota Port on several occasions from June to September this year. Around 7500 tourists have been brought to the port by their ‘Empress’ ship throughout the year.
According to a spokesperson, Hambantota Port is becoming one of the world’s leading ports that provide facilities for international passenger ships.