Sri Lanka earns over $1.5 bn from tourism in first half of year

Colombo: Sri Lanka's earnings from tourism rose to more than $1.5 billion in the first six months of 2024, a 77.9-per cent increase year-on-year, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) said in its latest weekly report.

Tourist arrivals in the first half were 1.01 million, up 61.7 per cent from the same period in 2023.

Tourism earnings in June hit $113.4 million, compared to $100.3 million a year ago, reported Xinhua news agency.

Meanwhile, workers' remittances for the first six months of 2024 were $3.14 billion, up from $2.82 billion in the same period last year.

Earnings from remittances were $519.6 million in June.

Tourism and workers' remittances are among the top foreign revenue generators for the South Asian nation.