Colombo, Dec 5 (IANS): Sri Lanka welcomed 151,496 international tourists in November, the highest monthly number of visitors it received in 2023, according to the latest data released by the tourism authority.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) said this is the first time that the number of tourists to the South Asian country passed the 150,000 mark in a month after December 2019, reports Xinhua news agency.

The island nation's cumulative tourist arrivals for the first 11 months of the year stand at 1.27 million, according to the SLTDA.

About 20 per cent of the total number of tourists came from India, with other key markets including Russia, Germany, the UK, Australia, China, the US and France, it said.

Tourism is one of Sri Lanka's top foreign revenue generators.

The government waived visa fees for nationals from China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan in late November to boost tourism in the coming season.