Forbs magazine
Sri Lanka has been named among the top three must-visit destinations for summer ’24 by Forbes, alongside Greece and Mauritius.
Writing for Forbes, travel blogger Kathleen Peddicord describes Sri Lanka as another island country floating in the Indian Ocean, a land of verdant highlands and stunning beaches. Its appeal is a blend of surf and wellness cultures, similar to Bali before its boom in popularity and resulting over-tourism.
Summer 2024 has the potential to be the busiest travel season of all time.
In the first quarter of this year, global tourism reached 97% of pre-pandemic levels. Some 285 million people traveled internationally between January and March, which is a 20% increase compared to the same period in 2023.
Indicators suggest that a high number of Americans in particular will travel in the next few months. Between October 2022 and September 2023, the State Department issued 24 million passport books and cards—the highest number in U.S. history.
TSA projects to screen record numbers of travelers this summer and is already seeing unusually high traffic. While it has historically been busiest on major holidays, it recorded one of its busiest days of all time (with 2.8 million travelers) on May 17.
With all of this global travel on the horizon, where should tourists travel in the summer of 2024?
My advice is to avoid Europe’s tourist hotspots—particularly the destinations where locals are actively opposing more visitors. Instead, head to one of the three destinations I recommend for unique and compelling travel experiences
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, another island country floating in the Indian Ocean, is a land of verdant highlands and stunning beaches. Its appeal is a blend of surf and wellness cultures, similar to Bali before its boom in popularity and resulting over-tourism.
Centers of yoga, reiki, breathwork, and other well-being practices have sprung up around the island in recent years. Some of these centers, like Kalukanda House and Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort, combine wellness concepts with luxury-level amenities and accommodations.
Sri Lanka is a place for nature lovers, home to 22 national parks. Its mountains and thick, subtropical jungles support a wide variety of plant and animal species. Visitors catch glimpses of elephants, otters, sloth bears, and elusive leopards on safari.
The Pekoe Trail, a 186-mile path that was completed in 2023, takes trekkers through the Central Highlands, including local villages, tea plantations, and holy shrines. You can also explore Sri Lanka by train, traveling easy while taking in scenic views and enjoying a unique cultural experience.
In the lowlands and along its coastlines, Sri Lanka serves up soft-sand beaches with frothy, surfable waves. There are beach towns with trendy hotels and cocktail bars, as well as quiet strips of untouched sand.
Mirissa Beach, known for its calm, crystal-clear waters and rock formations, shows up among Tripadvisor’s “Best of the Best Beaches” for 2024.
Unlike some of the world’s most popular tourist destinations (particularly in Europe), Sri Lanka actually wants more visitors right now. Its tourism authority is investing in marketing campaigns to attract more people, while anti-tourism protests heat up in the Canary Islands, Venice, and Amsterdam, among other places.
Sri Lanka is still recovering from a bombing event, the pandemic, severe economic crisis, and other recent incidents. Tourism is a major source of income for the country, and visiting the country can help put cash into the locals’ hands.
With all that Sri Lanka has to offer, combined with its tourism authority’s marketing efforts and the proliferation of wellness and luxury hotels, I see Sri Lanka growing in popularity this summer and beyond.
It made Travel + Leisure’s list of “The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2024” and its south and central regions show up on Condé Nast Traveller’s “The 24 Best Places to Go in 2024.”
Source article on Forbes magazine – https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathleenpeddicord/2024/05/24/3-must-visit-travel-destinations-for-summer-2024/?sh=71f457c81d16
