COLOMBO, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Over 700,000 tourists have arrived in Sri Lanka by July 20 this year, an official said on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Chairman Priantha Fernando told the media that 89,724 tourists arrived alone in the first 20 days of July.
Only 719,978 tourists arrived in Sri Lanka in 2022, and the number was 194,495 in 2021, official data shows.
Tourism, one of Sri Lanka's leading foreign exchange earners, suffered a setback due to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic and political crises in the country.
However, the tourism industry has made a comeback in 2023, aiming to attract 2 million visitors this year, compared to the previous target of 1.5 million. ■