NEW DELHI, March 13. /TASS/. Russian tourists are very important for the Sri Lankan economy, as they make up 13% of the total number of visitors, Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Levan Dzhagaryan told TASS.
"The flow of tourists from Russia is very important for the economy of Sri Lanka. For clarity, here are some statistics - in 2023, revenues to the country’s budget from the tourism sector reached $2.1 bln, the island was visited by 1.48 mln tourists, including around 13% or 200,000 Russians. In January - February of this year alone, 60,000 of our citizens visited Sri Lanka," the ambassador said, adding that Russian citizens consistently hold the first position in the number of tourists on the island.
He also noted that the Sri Lankan authorities have so far refrained from introducing the Russian Mir payment system, fearing US sanctions, but the issue of cooperation in the banking sector is still on the agenda.
"The regime of unilateral Western sanctions against Russia certainly has a negative impact on Russian-Sri Lankan cooperation. In particular, they are refraining from introducing the Russian Mir payment system and using its cards. The main reason is the fear of falling under secondary US restrictions," he said.
"Nevertheless, the issue of cooperation in the banking sector is still on the agenda," Dzhagaryan added.