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By Charumini de Silva
China has dropped out from the top ten tourist generating markets of Sri Lanka for the first time since 2012 following the outbreak of novel coronavirus COVID-19.
According to data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), tourist arrivals from China plunged by 92.5% to 28,039 in February, compared to the corresponding period of 2019.
A year ago, there were 69,064 Chinese tourists. In 2019, China was among the top three source markets for tourists for Sri Lanka, according to SLTDA, with 167,863 visitors – 9% of the total – holidaying.
Overall, February recorded 207,507 tourist arrivals as against 252,033 a year ago, a drastic decline of 17.7%. Cumulative tourist arrivals in the first two months of the year fell 12% year-on-year to 435,941. In January, arrivals fell by 6.5% to 228,434.
With the global epidemic, travel agencies and tour operators say the Chinese market has plunged to zero levels.
On average, Sri Lanka receives about 4,800 Chinese tourists per week from various airlines, including China Southern, China Eastern, China Air and SriLankan Airlines.
Health Services Director General Dr. Anil Jasinghe this week told journalists that permission to disembark for those who arrive in Sri Lanka on passenger ships has been halted with immediate effect, due to the risks posed by the rapid spread of COVID-19.
Industry sources told the Daily FT that Sri Lanka could lose over 20,000 cruise tourists over the next two months as a result of the Government decision.
In addition, inbound tour operators also expect the 14-day mandatory quarantine period announced for all passengers arriving from Italy, South Korea, and Iran will result in major cancellations.
The SLTDA said Europe became the largest source of tourist traffic to Sri Lanka in February, with 60.1 % of the total traffic received in February 2020, while Asia and Pacific accounted for 31.2% of the total traffic, Americas 6.9%, Middle East 1.2% and Africa 0.6%.
In February, the largest source market for tourists was India, followed by the United Kingdom and Russian Federation.
In comparison to February last year, all regions have recorded a decline in arrival numbers due to the COVID-19 epidemic, coupled with the effects of the Easter Sunday setback. The highest decline of 32.3% was recorded for the Middle East region, while Asia and Pacific recorded a decline of 31.3%, the Americas recorded a decline of 16.2%, whereas Europe recorded a decline of 8.2%. However, arrivals from the Russian Federation recorded an increase of 61% in comparison to February 2019.
It was noted that India, the United Kingdom, Russian Federation, Germany and France were Sri Lanka’s top five international tourist generating markets in the month of February. India was the largest source of tourist traffic to Sri Lanka with 17% of the total traffic received, while the United Kingdom accounted for 12.7% of the total traffic, followed by the Russian Federation, Germany and France which accounted for 10.1%, 7.9% and 5.5% of arrivals respectively.
Since April 2019, following the Easter Sunday terror attacks, Sri Lanka has witnessed monthly declines in tourist arrivals year-on-year in comparison to 2018.
India, United Kingdom, Russian Federation, Germany and China were also Sri Lanka’s top five international tourist generating markets from January to February this year. SLTDA data showed India was the largest source of tourist traffic to Sri Lanka, with 18% of the total traffic received during the first two months of 2020. The UK accounted for 11% of the total traffic; while the Russian Federation accounted for 9% as Germany and China accounted for 6% respectively.
