Lanka records steady tourism arrivals but earnings decline

Sri Lanka tourist arrivals from June 1 to 18, 2026, stood at 69,584, bringing the cumulative total for the year to 1,091,606 for the period January 1 to June 18, 2026. In June 2025, the country attracted 138,241 visitors.

The average arrivals per day were around 3,900 for the month of June. It was also notable that China moved to the third-best source market for Sri Lanka for June so far, sending 4,483 visitors.

Meanwhile, among the top 10 source markets from January 1 to June 18, 2026, India once again held the top position with 277,061 arrivals, followed by the United Kingdom with 103,472, the Russian Federation with 76,840, China in fourth place with 72,430, and Germany in fifth place with 68,000. Australia with 52,697 and France were close sixth and seventh markets for Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, in contrast to arrivals, tourism remittances remained under pressure. Sri Lanka recorded USD 1,360.0 million in tourism earnings from January to May 2026, showing a decline of nearly 11.9% compared to the corresponding period in 2025, when tourism receipts stood at USD 1,543.1 million.

In May 2025, the country earned USD 164.1 million from tourism, which declined to USD 155.7 million in May 2026.