India tops Sri Lanka’s tourism charts 2021
The Hindu
Destination weddings, ‘Ramayana trail’ favourites of Indian visitors
India topped Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals in December and the entire year, according to data published by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA).
For most part of 2020 beginning April, Sri Lanka shut its borders fearing import of COVID-19 cases into the island nation, which was then making global headlines for managing the pandemic well.
It was only in December 2020 that the country had gradually opened up to recover from the severe economic impact of the pandemic that had hit its tourism sector — third largest foreign exchange earner. However, 2021 saw a gradual increase in tourists, picking up in the latter part of the year.
In 2021, five women from Mayithara, four of them MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers, found a common ground in their desire to create a sustainable livelihood by growing vegetables. Rajamma M., Mary Varkey, Valsala L., Elisho S., and Praseeda Sumesh, aged between 70 and 39, pooled their savings, rented a piece of land and began their collective vegetable farming journey under the Deepam Krishi group.