COLOMBO (News 1st) – Workers’ remittances increased to US dollars 325 million during August 2022, in comparison to US dollars 279 million in the previous month, recording the highest monthly remittances thus far during 2022.
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka said that total departures for foreign employment were recorded at 29,072 during August 2022. Total departures of foreign employment comprised unskilled (9,685), skilled (8,590), and domestic aid (7,176) categories.
Total departures for foreign employment during January – August 2022 were recorded at 192,594, compared to 45,899 in the corresponding period of the previous year, and a total of 117,952 in 2021.Tourist arrivals:Tourist arrivals moderated in August 2022 to 37,760, from 47,293 arrivals recorded in July 2022.
The United Kingdom, India, Germany, and France remained the main source countries for tourist arrivals in August 2022. Earnings from tourism in August 2022 are estimated at US dollars 68 million, compared to US dollars 85 million in the previous month, and US dollars 13 million in the corresponding month in the previous year.Reserves: Sri Lanka's gross official reserves stood at US dollars 1.7 billion as of the end of August 2022, said the Central Bank of Sri Lanka on Friday (7), adding that this included the swap facility from the People’s Bank of China, equivalent to around US dollars 1.4 billion, which is subject to conditionalities on usability.