Hotels Association of Sri Lanka hails growth in tourist arrivals
- Thanks Minister Harin Fernando, SLTDA, and SLTPB heads for support.
- Records 200,000+ arrivals in December and predicts a 111% increase to $269.3m, proving the Minimum Room Rate in Colombo hasn’t harmed as feared.
- Believes MRR enhanced hotel performance. Aims for 2.3m tourists and $4b revenue in 2024.
- Hoteliers plan robust digital promotions in primary markets for better results.
President of The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL), M. Shanthikumar praised the significant recovery of the country’s tourism sector in 2023. He expressed gratitude to Tourism Minister Harin Fernando and the Sri Lanka Tourism Board for their efforts in achieving notable arrivals and revenue for the year.
Tourism in 2023 generated $2 billion with 1.48 million arrivals, the highest figures since 2019. The top sources of tourists were India (302,844), followed by the Russian Federation (197,498), the United Kingdom (130,000), Germany (102,540), and China (68,800).
Shanthikumar highlighted the December growth as a positive outcome, reflecting a mix of short-term visitors from India and longer stays from Western tourists. He noted this period attracted high-end travelers, evidenced by increased prices and airfares.
December 2023 saw earnings soar to $269.3 million, a 111.4% increase from the previous year, with tourist arrivals growing by 129% to 210,657. Shanthikumar pointed out that this growth, especially in December, shows that the Minimum Room Rate (MRR) in Colombo has not adversely affected tourism as some predicted. On the contrary, it has improved hotel performance.
Shanthikumar expressed confidence in reaching the 2024 targets of 2.3 million tourists and $4 billion in revenue, especially with the accelerated rollout of the promotional plan mentioned by the Minister.
He mentioned that hoteliers are supporting government initiatives and are responding to Minister Fernando’s call for an aggressive digital promotional campaign in key source markets. He noted the effectiveness of local and international hotel brands in directly communicating the attractiveness of Sri Lanka to potential holiday travelers.
While 2023’s performance was strong, it still falls short of the record 2.3 million arrivals and $4.4 billion earnings seen in 2018. Looking ahead, THASL will continue to fully support Minister Fernando, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Chairman Priantha Fernando, and Sri Lanka Promotion Bureau Chairman Chalaka Gajabahu, who have been instrumental in supporting hoteliers throughout 2023.
