Sri Lanka is fast becoming a favourite destination for Indian tourists who were among the top five visitors to the country during the month of August. 

Tourist arrivals show a very healthy growth of 13.8 per cent from 123,269 in 2013 to 140,319 in August this year. 

The top five sources of tourist arrivals in August were India, the UK, China, Germany and France. Together they had accounted for 47.6 per cent of total arrivals, the Central Bank said today. 

As a result the earnings from tourism increased by over 22 per cent to USD 202.7 million up from the USD 165.9 million earned in August 2013, it said. 

Sri Lanka is a developing economy off the southern coast of India. It has recorded strong growth rates in recent years despite years of civil war that ended in 2009. 

Tourism is a top foreign exchange earner for Sri Lanka's USD 59 billion economy, with garments and tea, and remittances from expatriate workers being ahead. 

The exports recorded over 7 per cent growth to USD 991 million in August. India ranks fourth and 50 per cent of the total exports had been to the USA, the UK, Italy, India and Germany. 

Textiles and garments contributed more than 85 per cent of the export growth, India's Business Standard reported