Saudi Arabia and UAE travellers lead resurgence

"The month of June has seen exceptional growth with travelers from Saudi Arabia and UAE leading the resurgence to post extraordinary growth during the month of June with Saudi travelers up by 186% and UAE travelers up by 181% compared to the same month last year," said SLTPB's Middle East Director, Heba Al Ghais Al Mansoori.

She noted that travelers from other Gulf countries including Qatar and Oman as well as Lebanon and Egypt contributed significantly to the overall growth in tourism arrivals.

"We are confident that this growth will be sustained and we hope to better our numbers during the Eid break and year-end through sustained promotional efforts and strengthening support for the travel trade in the region as we see an increased awareness both among the travel trade and the consumers for Sri Lanka as a preferred destination,"

observed Ms. Al Mansoori.

Cultural attractions, entertainment, shopping, and dining are some of the factors that draw modern day Arab travelers to their preferred destinations and Sri Lanka offers a good product that scores on all counts and is less than four hours flying time away from the Gulf.

Factors such as the government's support for the tourism sector, and expansion of low-cost carrier services are also contributing to the growth of the tourism industry.

With peace finally prevailing after almost three decades of strife, Sri Lanka is an ideal getaway for regional travelers as it is only three and a half hours flying time away from the Gulf.

Sri Lanka offers diversity within easy reach in a small island. Among the many soubriquets showered upon this tiny island include Serendipity, Ceylon, Teardrop of India, Resplendent Isle, Island of Dharma and Pearl of the Indian Ocean to name a few and none comes even close to articulate the true beauty and old world charm of Sri Lanka.