At approximately 1.1 million visitors so far this year (up to September 2014), international arrivals to Sri Lanka are an impressive 22% up from the same period in 2013. The growth is largely driven by increased visitation from source markets such as Eastern Europe, the Middle East and China, which have seen a 97%, 74%, and 43% increase in arrivals, respectively from 2012 to 2013. The single largest growing feeder market for Sri Lanka during this period was Indonesia - a 500% growth in arrivals was recorded from the archipelago; from 2,900 arrivals in 2012 to 17,300 arrivals in 2013. With a target of 2 million international arrivals in 2015 and 2.5 million in 2016, Sri Lanka is slated to become one of the region’s premier tourist and leisure destinations. In response to the increasing demand for quality accommodation on the island, many international hotel brands including Anantara, Hilton, Radisson, Marriott, Sheraton and Shangri-La are expected to enter the market in the next few years.
HVS APAC HOSPITALITY NEWSLETTER.
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