An increasing number of travellers from the Middle East are attracted to Sri Lanka's charms - the destination is less than four hours flying time away from airports in the Gulf

Announcing the results, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau's Middle East Office confirmed that the strongest growth was registered from the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait.

Among the other markets that were a major source of tourists to Sri Lanka during the nine month period included France, Finland, Norway, Japan Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, India, Australia and New Zealand.

"With peace finally prevailing after almost three decades of strife, we are confident that these...