Some good news

Sri Lanka recorded over 50,000 international tourist arrivals in December so far, a significant improvement compared to previous months, according to latest data released by the tourism authority. The daily average of arrivals in December is over 2,500 and in the first 11 months of this year, the figure was around 1,900, data from Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) showed. The total number of international tourist arrivals for the year to December 20 was 678,392, Xinhua news agency quoted the SLTDA as saying.Tourism, one of Sri Lanka’s leading foreign exchange earners, has suffered a setback due to the Covid pandemic and the country’s economic and political crises. Sri Lanka aims to attract around 1.5 million tourists in 2023 and 3 million tourists in 2024, according to Minister of Tourism and Lands Harin Fernando. Meanwhile, Independent election monitors in Sri Lanka have pressed for the holding of the local council polls even as the government appears reluctant to conduct them in the prevailing economic crisis.Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, plunged into financial and political turmoil earlier this year as it faced a shortage of foreign currencies.The worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948 was triggered by a severe paucity of foreign exchange reserves.