International Tourist Arrivals through the Exotic Gateway, MRIA

March 06, 2023

MRIA facilitated 11,926 international tourists in February 2023.

602 international tourists arrived in Sri Lanka through the exotic gateway on 6th March 2023.

Facilitated 1009 international tourists on 6th March 2023.

While Sri Lanka tourism industry recorded 107,639 international tourist arrivals in February 2023 with a growth of 11.5% compared to the month of February 2022, MRIA facilitated 11,926 international tourists (6259 arrivals and 5667 departures) in February 2023 with over 72 international aircraft movements.

The top five source markets for Sri Lanka in February have been Russian Federation, 29,084 (27%), India, 13,714 (13%), United Kingdom 8,575 (8%), Germany 7,930 (7%), and France 6,118 (6%).  

Further, after 2021, MRIA facilitated the first flight of SCAT Airlines of Kazakhstan today (6th March 2023) with 188 international tourists arriving in the country. Altogether, 602 international tourists arrived in Sri Lanka through the exotic gateway today and also, Red Wings Airlines, a Russian regional leisure airline based in Moscow, carried 414 international tourists to the country while 407 tourists departed on the same flight today.

Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) (Limited) had made all the necessary arrangements to welcome the guests and facilitate smooth operations to process 1009 tourists. The top management of AASL appreciates the contribution of the Department of Immigration and Emigration, Sri Lanka Customs, and all other institutions at MRIA for the team effort and efficient operations in processing the tourists. If the trend continues, the year 2023 would be one of the best recovery years for Sri Lanka and tourism will support rebuilding the economy.