Sri Lanka crosses 800,000 arrivals, but earnings continue to slow

Sri Lanka crossed the 800,000-tourist arrival mark on April 15, but the latest figures indicate a sharp decline compared to previous months. Correspondingly, earnings from tourism have also recorded a steep drop, raising concerns within the industry.

Sri Lanka welcomed 174,608 visitors in April 2025, but by the halfway stage of April this year had managed to attract only 68,961 arrivals. The average daily arrivals have also fallen to below 4,000, and industry observers predict that total arrivals for April may barely reach the 100,000 mark.

The top six source markets for April 2026 were once again led by India with 19,822 visitors, accounting for 29.0% of total arrivals. This was followed by the United Kingdom with 6,328 (9.0%), Australia with 6,223 (9.0%), China with 5,100 (7.0%), the Russian Federation with 3,560 (5.0%), and France with 3,117 (5.0%).

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka earned only USD 954 million from January to March 2026 in tourism receipts, compared with USD 1,122.3 million during the corresponding period in 2025. This represents a disappointing 15% decline in earnings.

The month of March 2025 yielded USD 354.0 million in tourism revenue, but this dropped sharply to USD 223.7 million in March 2026, reflecting the broader slowdown in arrivals and spending. (SS)