Colombo: Players in Sri Lanka's travel industry are attempting to increase the number of visitors from Saudi Arabia as the island country struggles with an ongoing crisis in its tourism industry.

Sri Lanka has long relied heavily on tourism as a source of funding. The tourism industry contributed $4.4 billion, or 5.6%, of the nation's GDP, in 2018. However, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which halted international travel, this figure fell to just 0.8 percent in 2020.

In an effort to boost tourism as the nation descends into its worst economic crisis since independence, Sri Lanka has declared 2022 the "Visit Sri Lanka Year."

The Sri Lankan Tourism Development Authority has identified its top primary markets and top potential markets, which include Saudi Arabia, based on an analysis of visitor data for this year up to July.

Due to the size of its population and the high GDP per capita in the area, Saudi Arabia is a significant source for the Sri Lankan market, Madhubhani Perera, the public relations director of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, told Arab News on Friday.

Data from the bureau shows that visitors from the Kingdom spend, on average, $230 per day in the island country.

Saudi Arabia is still regarded as "a top market in terms of arrivals," Perera said, despite the fact that the number of tourists from Saudi Arabia fell from 34,700 in 2018 to 4,015 up to July this year.

The Saudi market has "the potential to grow," according to Mohamed Sabry Bahaudeen, chairman of the Travel Agents Association of Sri Lanka, and is one of the key nations Sri Lanka should try to engage with to bolster its inflows of foreign currency.

He told Arab News that "travellers from (Saudi Arabia) have, on average, one of the highest travel expenditures in the world."

According to the Tourism Promotion Bureau, visitors from the Kingdom are typically drawn to wildlife and the outdoors, as well as "the opportunity to enjoy holidays that have a green footprint, native birds, and animals in their natural habitats."

Sri Lanka is well-liked by tourists with children due to its well-known palm-lined white beaches, seaside resorts offering water sports, and UNESCO cultural sites. Therefore, travel agencies' top priority is the resurgence of family tourism.

Saudi tourists prefer family vacations, and Sri Lanka offers a variety of attractions, rich cultural and historical activities, as well as (sports and leisure activities) to keep the whole family happy, according to Bahaudeen.

"I'm confident that in the coming months, Sri Lanka will attract a lot more visitors from Saudi Arabia as their next vacation destination."

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