Thursday Oct 02, 2025
Thursday Oct 02, 2025
Thursday, 2 October 2025 00:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The tourism industry recorded its highest-ever September arrivals this year, driven largely by Indian visitors, boosting optimism for a strong winter season despite concerns over falling short of the ambitious 2025 target.
As per the latest data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), 158,971 tourists arrived in September 2025, surpassing the previous record of 149,087 in 2018 and marking a 30.2% year-on-year (YoY) rise in arrivals.
The surge was led by a 7% month-on-month rise in Indian arrivals, cementing India’s role as Sri Lanka’s top source market.
On average, Sri Lanka welcomed 5,299 tourists daily in September, a 30.13% YoY increase. India accounted for the lion’s share with 49,697 visitors (31.3%), followed by the UK with 10,752 tourists (6.8%), China with 10,527 (6.6%), Germany with 9,344 (5.9%) and Australia with 9,105 visitors (5.7%).
In addition, tourists were also received from France, Bangladesh, Spain, the Netherlands and Japan.
The September arrivals pushed the year-to-date figure (YTD) to over 1.72 million, marking a 16.2% increase YoY. However, compared to the benchmark year 2018, when the country had received over 1.73 million arrivals by end-September, the current figure remains 0.37% lower.
India continues to dominate Sri Lanka’s top source market with 375,292 visitors (22% of the total arrivals), followed by the UK with 161,893 tourists (9%), Russia with 122,144 (7%), Germany with 106,988 (6%) and China with 101,590 visitors (6%).
Industry stakeholders credited the record September numbers to international accolades and growing interest in Sri Lanka’s MICE tourism segment. Sri Lanka was ranked the No. 1 Most Beautiful Island in the World by Big 7 Travel, placed 9th on BBC Travel’s list of the 25 Best Places to Visit in 2025 and recently named the top global destination to visit in October 2025 by Time Out magazine.
Despite the momentum, September arrivals fell below forecasts of 185,043, reflecting a 16.4% or 26,072 shortfall.
SLTDA projections for January–September had targeted 2.19 million visitors, but the realised figure was down 27.4% from that expectation.
Looking ahead, SLTDA in its latest ‘Growth Scenario’ report outlined three situations for year-end outcomes. In the base case, if arrivals average 280,000 per month from August to December, Sri Lanka would finish with around 2.78 million visitors—a post-crisis high, but short of the original 3 million target. In an optimistic case, arrivals of 330,000 per month would put the 3 million mark within reach, though this would require immediate visa reforms and aggressive campaigns. In a pessimistic case, with arrivals averaging 250,000 per month, the tally would end at 2.6 million, aligning with the revised official floor target quietly acknowledged by SLTDA (https://www.sltda.gov.lk/storage/common_media/Growth_Scenarios_2025_final_1.pdf).
On 19 September, SLTDA Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam conceded that Sri Lanka is now aiming for a minimum of 2.6 million visitors in 2025, down from the original 3 million, though he stressed this would “still be a historical high” (https://www.ft.lk/front-page/South-Asia-calls-for-united-tourism-front-as-Colombo-hosts-SATA-2025/44-782013). The previous record was in 2018, when Sri Lanka welcomed 2.33 million tourists and earned over $ 4.5 billion.
The country still needs to attract nearly 875,000 visitors to meet the revised 2.6 million target in the last quarter of 2025.
As per the Central Bank’s latest external sector performance report, tourism earnings in the first eight months were $ 2.3 billion, up 5.7% YoY, but still well below pace to achieve the Government’s $ 5 billion goal. Analysts remain confident that Sri Lanka will surpass last year’s $ 3.17 billion in revenue, which had been the highest since 2018 and the fifth-best year on record for the industry.
Analysts and stakeholders agree that while Sri Lanka may fall short of its lofty 2025 targets, the sector is firmly on a growth trajectory, with strong seasonal prospects and global recognition reinforcing the country’s position as a leading destination in the region. However, they insist on a global promotion campaign and free-visa rollout to sustain the momentum.
