By TravoUpdate
India remains the top source market for Sri Lanka, with around 200,000 Indian visitors so far in 2024, accounting for 18% of all visitors.
A significant networking cocktail event took place on a Ganges boat in Kolkata on July 10, 2024, involving a large Sri Lankan delegation and Indian travel industry leaders.
Sri Lanka held several B2B roadshows and networking events in June 2024 in Indore, Vadodara, and Surat to promote itself as a year-round travel destination.
Sri Lanka's tourism industry generated over USD 1.25 billion in the first four months of 2024 and over USD 2 billion in 2023.
The expansion of visa-free travel for Indian tourists is expected to help achieve the goal of attracting 2.5 million visitors by the end of 2024.
Tourism is the third-largest source of income for Sri Lanka, with the sector now including sports, culture, spirituality, history, and beach tourism.
Sri Lanka is increasingly popular as a MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destination, with MICE tourism expected to generate over USD 550 million in revenue in 2024.
Travel between Sri Lanka and nine Indian cities is facilitated by 95 flights, enhancing convenience for Indian tourists.
The integration of India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for seamless transactions adds to the convenience and appeal of Sri Lanka as a vacation destination.
Sri Lanka has been actively participating in significant travel trade events like SATTE, OTM, the World Travel Market in London, ITB in Germany, and the Arabian Travel Mart in Dubai to strengthen its tourism market.