The number of tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka went up 19.9% to 53,636 in the month of June 2011, compared to June 2010 which was only 44,730, according to the latest figures released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.

Figures showed an increase in the number of arrivals from Western Europe, South Asia, East Asia, Middle East and North America.

Tourists from Western Europe, the traditional tourist generating market, rose 1.5 percent to 14,087 in June 2011. The number of visitors from Finland went up 87.5 percent to 90, those from France up 36.3 percent to 2,019 and from Sweden up 44.2 percent to 581.

South Asian visitors rose to 22.1 percent to 18,431 with tourists from India up by 22.1 percent to 12,927, from Maldives up 12.8 percent to 3,679 and from Pakistan up 41.8 percent to 1,337.

Arrivals from Australasia went up 7.0 percent to 3,067 and from East Asia up by 32.2 percent to 6,836. Japanese visitors increased 48.4 percent to 1,180, visitors from Malaysia rose 7.5 percent to 1,335.

Visitors from Singapore rose 18.3 percent to 1,343.