The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority says 2.3 million tourists arrived in the island in 2018 with a healthy growth of 10.3 percent despite missing the target of 2.5 million for the year.
The Authority said Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals during 2018 recorded 2.3 million tourists compared to 2.1 million tourist arrivals in 2017.
The month of December recorded the highest number of arrivals of 253,169 for the year 2018, up 3.5% from a year earlier.
India, China, Britain and Germany continued to be the leading markets in 2018 while a significant growth was also seen from Australia.
Minister of Tourism Development John Amaratunga said Sri Lanka would have achieved the originally-set target of 2.5 million arrivals target, or surpassed it, if not for the political crisis prevailed after October 26.
The Minister said Sri Lanka can achieve four million tourist arrivals and a $5 billion income by the end of 2019.
Case against Arjuna taken up for hearing
The case against Minister Arjuna Ranatunga for allegedly causing minor injuries to an individual through assault, during the unrest at the premises of the Ceylon Petroleum Cooperation in Dematagoda on the 28th of October, was taken up for consideration.
The case was heard before Colombo Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne on Friday (04).
The Colombo Crimes Division tabling facts before Court said CCTV footage has not recorded any assaults on individuals on the part of the Minister at the CPC premises.
The CCD said this was determined in preliminary investigations conducted over the unrest at the Dematagoda CPC complex.
However the CCD informed Court that the individual was assaulted during the unrest.
The Magistrate who considered the facts tabled by the Colombo Crimes Division called for further investigations to be carried out and for a report to be tabled at the next hearing.
The case will be taken up for hearing once again on the 1st of February.
