COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – The tourist arrival in Sri Lanka for the first four months of the current year has shown a surge of almost 40 percent, according to the data released by country’s tourism promotion office today.

Indian tourists till April this year have been put at over 17 thousand, which is an increase of about 36 percent. But the biggest jump has come from East Asia, which shows incoming tourist increase by 60 percent this year.

China has emerged as one of the top country in terms of sending tourists to Sri Lanka – with over 36 thousand visitors coming in this period. Tourists from Western Europe also showed a marked liking for the island nation, with a 47 percent increase in the number of visitors coming to the tropical beaches this year.

Earlier this year, Sri Lanka had launched a mega tourism promotional campaign to boost arrivals from newly developing markets like East Asia.