Sri Lanka’s tourism sector earnings rose to US $ 4.38 billion or US $ 4,381 million in 2018, in comparison to US $ 3.92 billion or US $ 3,925 million in 2017, the latest Central Bank data outlined.

However the statistics showed that workers remittances declined by 2.1% to $ 7 billion in 2018, whilst workers’ remittances in December 2018 declined by 13%, year-on-year, to $ 584 million. On a cumulative basis, workers’ remittances recorded a decline of 2.1% to $ 7,015 million in 2018, from $ 7,164 million in 2017.

- Reporting by Devendra Francis