Return to Paradise

Why Sri Lanka is all set to sweep the stakes for top spot when it comes to travel this year

- MALIK J FERNANDO

At the dawn of the New Year, tens of thousands of Sri Lankans gathered at Galle Face and the new Port City to celebrate a new dawn for 2023 at the very same location made infamous by the initial protests, More than a jubilant shout-out to the world, it emphasised an opportunity for a new beginning—a fresh start. 

Hope was already rife in the salt air of the island state as it welcomed close to 100,000 tourists in December 2022 alone. India has consistently proven to be one of Sri Lanka’s top markets, and search data along with arrival data earmarks India’s huge potential as Sri Lanka’s primary source market.

Who can blame the returning hordes of tourists; there’s a reason Marco Polo hailed Sri Lanka as the finest island of its size in the world. With a continent’s worth of attractions, rarely found on one small island, tourists and travellers alike, from across the world, flock to its breathtaking landscapes, diverse history, rich biodiversity and incredibly warm, genuine hospitality.

Despite the negative press the island country received last year, normalcy returned as far back as July, 2022. Tourists, who were already in the country, carried on with their holidays; there was no real exodus as protests were largely peaceful and contained within the capital.