Tourism earnings drop to $730m as remittances hit $1.4bn in early 2026

The declining trend in tourism earnings continued into February, with the country earning around US dollars 730 million in the first two months of the year.

In contrast, tourism earnings stood at US dollars 768.2 million in January and February 2025, indicating a 4.9% decline.

Meanwhile, worker remittances recorded a healthy upward trend, reaching US dollars 1.4 billion in January and February 2026. This compares with US dollars 1.121 billion in the same period of 2025, reflecting a robust 32% increase.

Central Bank data also showed that the year-to-date depreciation of the Sri Lankan rupee against the US dollar stood at 1.7% as of April 2, 2026.