June tourist arrivals down 7.5% YoY; crosses 1.11 m visitors YTD

Saturday, 27 June 2026 01:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

95,747 arrivals in 1-24 June, down from 103,562 year ago

YTD arrivals down 1.4% YoY to 1.11 m

India tops arrivals during the first 24 days of June with 35,370 visitors, but arrivals decline 25% MoM

India continues to lead YTD arrivals with 285,630 visitors, followed by the UK and Russia

The tourism industry crossed the 1.11 million visitor mark during the first 24 days of June, but the latest figures point to a slowdown in momentum, with monthly arrivals trailing last year’s pace amid a sharp decline in Indian travellers.

According to provisional data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), the country welcomed 95,747 visitors between 1 and 24 June, a 7.5% year-on-year (YoY) decline from the 103,562 arrivals registered during the corresponding period in 2025.

The latest arrivals pushed cumulative tourist inflows for 2026 to over 1.11 million, although year-to-date (YTD) arrivals remain 1.4% below the 1.13 million registered during the same period last year, indicating that the sector is still struggling to regain last year’s growth trajectory.

The first week of June brought in 27,043 tourists, followed by 27,423 in the second week and 28,585 in the third week, while 12,696 visitors arrived between 22 and 24 June.

The daily average arrivals during the first 24 days fell to 3,989 from 4,315 during the same period a year earlier.

India retained its position as Sri Lanka’s largest source market, contributing 35,370 visitors, or 37% of total arrivals, during the first 24 days of June. However, Indian arrivals showed signs of weakening, declining by 25% compared to May, suggesting softer travel demand from the country’s top tourism source market.

The UK ranked second with 7,773 visitors, accounting for 8% of arrivals, followed by China with 6,727 tourists (7%), Australia with 5,874 (6%) and Bangladesh with 2,946 visitors (3%).

On a cumulative basis, India continues to dominate the tourism market with 285,630 visitors, representing 26% of total arrivals so far this year. The UK follows with 105,866 visitors (9%), while Russia ranks third with 77,080 arrivals, accounting for 7% of the total.

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.