Sri Lanka '08 tourist arrivals down 11.2 pct yr/yr

Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka fell by 11.2 per cent in 2008 from a year ago to 438,475 visitors as an intensified war against separatist rebels and global recession deterred visitors.

Updated on: Jan 15, 2009, 13:06:41 IST

Reuters | By HT Correspondent, Colombo

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Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka fell by 11.2 per cent in 2008 from a year ago to 438,475 visitors as an intensified war against separatist rebels and global recession deterred visitors, the government said on Thursday.

The island nation received 494,008 tourists in 2007. December arrivals fell 19.9 per cent to 48,925, tourism board data showed. Tourism Board Director General S Kalaiselvam said the financial crisis would likely trim arrivals by about 10 per cent in 2009.

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