The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) says that Sri Lanka’s earnings from tourism increased to USD 107.5 million in November, 2022.

Accordingly, the total earnings from tourism from January to November 2022, is USD 1,129.4 million, according to the CBSL.

In October 2022, tourism earnings stood at USD 75.6 million in comparison to USD 54 million in September 2022.

Sri Lanka’s earnings from tourist arrivals stood at well over USD 1,129 million in the first eleven months of this year, the central bank has said, an impressive surge buoyed by the resumption in international flights and easing of curbs related to the coronavirus.

The tourism sector is the main source of foreign exchange earnings in the country.

However, the onset of the pandemic in 2020 severely crippled this sector, and one of the major reasons for Sri Lanka’s economic travails.

Sri Lanka welcomed 59,759 tourists to the country in November, an impressive 42 per cent rise compared to the previous month, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka said in a statement on Sunday.

Consequently, the island nation’s earnings from international tourist arrivals for November touched USD 107.5 billion, with the cumulative tally in the first ten months of the year notching up to a whopping USD 1129.4 million, it said.

In October this year, the country had earned USD 75.6 million as revenues through tourism.

Overall, 6,28,017 tourists have arrived in the country in the first eleven months of the year, the report said.

The daily average of tourist arrivals in November stood at 1991, a significant jump when compared in October, which saw 1,355 tourists, it added.

--With agencies inputs