In its Airport Survey of Departing Foreign Tourists from Sri Lanka for 2017, which was released exclusively to The Sunday Morning Business on Friday (19), the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has found that 98.2% of tourists said they were either ‘delighted’ or ‘satisfied’ with their experience in Sri Lanka. The survey, which was conducted from January to December last year, has sampled 5,502 tourists and 1,057 transit passengers including professionals, students and educationalists from 24 countries, to identify the factors influencing tourist arrivals. Majority of the respondents were from the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Canada. Speaking about the results of the survey, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Chairman Kavan Ratnayaka said: “Tourism itself can’t do this. This mess that is Sri Lanka, we’re all in it together. This proves that we send off our guests with a very high level of satisfaction.” According to the survey, the number of female tourists who visited Sri Lanka has surpassed the number of male tourists. During their stay, tourists who were on a package tour have spent $ 259.98 per day, including the air fare; while tourists who were not on a package tour spent $ 247.49 per day, including the air fare. The tropical beauty of the Island, friendliness of the people, beaches and varied attractions were amongst the most memorable attributes of Sri Lanka, while 5.45% of respondents cited ‘Political Problems and Violence’ – when they were asked about their perception of the country. Around 61.5% of respondents have stated that they have an intention of visiting Sri Lanka again; while 1.7% found to be disappointed or extremely disappointed with their experience. However, 76.75% of the sampled tourists said they were harassed as they were approached by three-wheeler drivers, touts, beach vendors and beggars.