Sri Lanka Tourism Recovery Slows in Early September 📉

• Overall Figures: Tourist arrivals fell 1.1% YoY to 31,885 between September 1-6, 2026, down from 32,246 in the same period last year. The daily average reached 5,314 visitors, with a single-day peak of 5,933 on September 5. • Trend & Cumulative Performance: The early September dip follows weakness in August (-3.29% YoY to 191,704) and July (-1.70% YoY to 196,845). Cumulative arrivals for 2026 up to September 6 reached 1.57 Mn (1,567,007), down 2% YoY compared to 1.60 Mn (1,598,769) in 2025. • Top Source Markets: - Early September (1–6 Sep): India led with 9,894 arrivals (31% share), followed by Australia (2,036), Germany (1,762), China (1,645), France (1,095), Japan (890), Spain (871), Bangladesh (848), and the Netherlands (834). - Year-to-Date (Jan 1 – Sep 6): India remains the critical driver for tourism diversification and foreign inflow, generating 395,377 tourists (25% total share), followed by the UK (152,625), China (102,473), Germany (91,763), and Russia (81,211).