COLOMBO, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Over 166,900 tourists arrived in Sri Lanka last month, which was a 7.5 percent decline compared to the same period last year due to large cancellations following the Easter Sunday terror explosions, official statistics from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) said here Tuesday.

The top five markets for Sri Lankan tourism were Britain, India, Germany, China and Australia.

Overall, over 900,000 tourists have visited Sri Lanka till April this year which is a 2.2 percent increase when compared to the first four months of last year.

Sri Lankan tourism industry was one of the worst affected since the Easter Sunday terror attacks on April 21 which targeted churches and luxury hotels, killing over 250 people and injuring over 500.

Hotels have faced 90 percent cancellations since the attacks.

Chairman of SLTDA, Kishu Gomes said on Monday the tourism ministry would launch a massive global promotional campaign in the coming months to advertise Sri Lanka as a safe destination and the industry hoped to bounce back within two to 13 months.