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Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals jumped by 42.3 percent in May compared to a year earlier, boosted by the end of the country's 25-year civil war, tourism board data showed on Friday. Arrivals have risen for 12 straight months since the end of the war in May last year, and were up 31.2 percent in the June 2009-May 2010 period compared to a year earlier.

The hotel and travel index on the Colombo Stock Exchange has almost tripled since the war's end, outpacing the rise in the overall stock index, which has more than doubled since then. Tourism is one of the main foreign exchange earners of the $42 billion economy along with remittances, garments, and tea. The revenue from tourism was $350 million in 2009.

Following table shows tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka: 2010 2009 Change (in %)

May 35,213 24,739 42.3
Jan-May 233,922 157,495 48.5

EARNINGS FROM TOURISM JUMPED 68.8 PERCENT IN THE FIRST FOUR months in this year to $174.9 million, the central bank's latest data showed. Sri Lanka is targeting 2.5 million arrivals and $2 billion in earnings by 2016. ($1=113.705 Sri Lankan rupee) (Reporting by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Kim Coghill) (( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; +94-11-237-5903; Reuters Messaging; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )) Keywords: SRILANKA ECONOMY/TOURISM (If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

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