Sri Lanka Tourism Starts 2026 with 33,000+ Arrivals 📈

Sri Lanka’s tourism sector shows steady momentum in the first four days of 2026, marking an optimistic start toward ambitious annual targets. • Overall Performance: The country welcomed 33,076 tourists from January 1–4, a 3% YoY increase compared to 25,620 arrivals in the same period of 2025. The average daily arrivals rose to 8,269. • Top Source Markets: India remains the leading contributor, accounting for 15% of total arrivals. 1. India: 5,065 2. Russia: 3,948 (12%) 3. UK: 2,914 (9%) 4. Germany: 2,862 (9%) 5. Australia: 1,790 (5%) Other notable contributors include Poland, the US, Italy, China, and France. • Strategic Targets: For 2026, Sri Lanka Tourism aims for 3 million arrivals and US$ 5.0 Bn in revenue. This follows a record-breaking 2025, which saw 2.36 million arrivals and over US$ 3.2 Bn in earnings. • Economic Context: While footfall is increasing, industry experts emphasize a shift toward value generation over volume to maximize the sector's impact on national economic growth and foreign exchange liquidity.