Tourist arrivals in April reach 15-year record high
A 36 percent increase in arrivals was the highest year-over-year growth since 2004.
15 May 2019, 9:00 AM
Tourist arrivals increased by a whopping 36.2 percent in April compared to the same period last year, representing the highest growth rate since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Some 190,713 tourists visited last month, up from 163,000 tourists in April last year, Tourism Minister Ali Waheed told the press on Tuesday, attributing the growth to political stability since the new administration took office in November as well as “combined efforts by the government and the industry.”
As pledged during last year’s presidential election campaign, the annual tourism promotion budget has been increased threefold to US$6.7 million.
Tourist arrivals reached nearly half a million at the end of the first quarter, a 15 percent increase compared to the first quarter of 2018.
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