Sri Lanka targets 1.2mn tourists in 2013

Dec 31, 2012 (LBO) - Sri Lanka is targeting 1.







2 million tourist arrivals for 2013 after welcoming a million tourists in 2012, more than it target of 950,000, the state tourism promotion office said.



Update II/Corrected billion dollars On December 30, officials led by deputy economic development minister Lakshman Yapa had welcomed Jiang Ying from China as the millionth tourist when she landed in Colombo with her husband Yang Bo.

She had come on board a state-run SriLankan Airlines flight.

Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals had grown 17 percent from last year's 885,979, earning a billion dollars as revenue, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau said.

This year an ambitious target of 1.

2 million is planned including 60,000 from China.

Up to November 22,000 tourists had arrived in Sri Lanka.

The tourism office has planned the participation in 36 travel fairs for next year.

"In addition, International promotional activities will also be executed largely in collaboration with social media sites and world famous airlines to make this long term goal a reality," the tourism promotion office said.

"Moreover, under the visiting journalists programme, Sri Lanka Tourism also mak