Colombo: Sri Lanka earned a record income of US$ 11.6 billion last year from tourism, foreign remittances and consular services, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath announced. The Minister made these remarks at a special media briefing held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today (05). He stated that Sri Lanka recorded the highest number of tourist arrivals in its history, with 2,362,000 visitors last year, generating US$ 3.2 billion in tourism revenue.

According to News.LK, foreign remittances also reached a historic high of US$ 7.8 billion, while income from consular services amounted to US$ 576.9 million, the Minister said. Addressing the impact of Cyclone Ditva, the Minister noted that although the tourism sector faced temporary uncertainty, a special recovery operation led by the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with other institutions has resulted in a 15 percent increase in tourist arrivals so far, with tourists gradually returning to the country.

The Minister further revealed that Sri Lanka received extensive international financial and material assistance following the cyclone. The Maldives made the largest financial contribution of Rs. 725 million, followed by Japan with Rs. 596 million and Chennai, India with Rs. 440 million. He added that the total assistance received so far amounts to nearly Rs. 85 billion.