June records lowest tourist arrivals so far in 2026

Thursday, 2 July 2026 04:40 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Tourism slips 10% in June to 124,551 as Indian arrivals weaken
YTD arrivals down 1.4% YoY to 1.11 m
India tops June arrivals, but decline 28% MoM

Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals fell by 10% in June year-on-year (YoY), marking the lowest inflow for the year so far, trailing last year’s pace amid a sharp decline in Indian travellers.

According to provisional data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), June 2026 arrivals stood at 124,551, down from 138,241 in June 2025. It also fell 15% compared to May 2026, with weekly inflows showing moderate dispersion; 27,043 in the first week, 27,423 in the second, 28,585 in the third, and 41,000 in the final week.

Average daily arrivals dropped to 4,152, down from 4,608 a year earlier, although the highest single-day intake was 5,173 visitors on 20 June.

India remained Sri Lanka’s largest source market, contributing 43,423 arrivals (35%), but also showed a sharp 28% month-on-month (MoM) decline compared to 60,342 arrivals in May, signalling softening demand from the country’s key tourism feeder market. The UK followed with 10,474 visitors (8%), while Australia and China contributed 8,710 (7%) and 8,224 (7%) arrivals, respectively.

Despite the June slowdown, cumulative arrivals for 2026 rose to over 1.14 million, though the industry remains 1.8% below the 1.16 million arrivals recorded in the same period last year, indicating that Sri Lanka has yet to fully regain its previous growth trajectory. India continues to dominate overall source markets with 293,683 visitors (26%), followed by the UK with 108,567 (9%) and Russia with 77,349 (7%).

The June slowdown comes after stronger performances earlier in the year and underscores the importance of sustaining demand from key source markets, particularly India, if Sri Lanka is to maintain momentum towards its annual tourism targets.