May tourist arrivals hit all-time high for the month but registers lowest footfall so far in 2025

• Sri Lanka welcomes 132,919 tourists in May 2025, marking highest May arrivals in history and 19% YoY growth
• Misses monthly target of 165,118 by 20% or 32,199 short 
• YTD arrivals top 1.02 m, up 15% YoY, slightly exceeding end-May 2018 figure of over 1.01 m
• May arrivals drop 31% from April, with daily average down from 5,820 to 4,288
• Analysts warn steep climb ahead, with 66% or 1.97 m more needed to hit 3 m target—averaging 282,000 per month
• Global campaign and free-visa scheme for 39 countries still pending, sparking industry concern

Tourist arrivals in off-season May recorded the highest-ever arrivals for the month, though performance was the lowest monthly footfall for 2025 so far.

As per the latest data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), 132,919 tourists arrived in May, reflecting a 19% year-on-year (YoY) growth. However, this fell short of the month’s target of 165,118 by 20% or 32,199 visitors. The previous highest was in 2018 May, which saw 129,466 arrivals. 



This performance has also pushed the year-to-date (YTD) arrivals to over 1.02 million, marking a 15% YoY increase, which also edges past the benchmark set in the industry’s best-performing year of 2018—signalling sustained global interest and momentum.

Although May’s arrival tally exceeded that of May 2018 by a slim margin of 3,453 visitors, the month showed a significant 31.36% drop compared to April 2025, when 174,608 tourists visited the country. The daily average arrivals also dipped from 5,820 in April to 4,288 in May 2025—though still an improvement over the 3,617 daily arrivals in May 2024, indicating potential challenges in maintaining consistent growth.

Industry analysts attribute this seasonal decline to the end of the winter travel peak. 

India remained the leading source market for April, contributing 47,001 tourists or 35.4% of the total. The UK followed with 9,221, while China added 8,803 visitors. Bangladesh, Germany, Australia, France, the US, Canada, and Russia featured prominently among top contributors.

India continues to dominate YTD arrivals with 204,060 visitors, followed by Russia with 110,421, and the UK with 96,274, whilst Germany and France round out the top five YTD contributors.

Industry analysts opined that although these figures show strong recovery and renewed global interest, Sri Lanka still faces an uphill climb.

 “To reach the ambitious annual target of 3 million visitors and $ 5 billion in revenue, the country must attract more than 1.97 million tourists over the next seven months or attract over 65.7% visitors to meet the year’s target. This means monthly arrivals would need to average over 282,000—a steep increase compared to the current average of 206,000 visitors,” they pointed out.

Recent analyses suggested that Sri Lanka may fall short of the 2025 target by around half a million tourists unless significant new momentum is achieved. The data suggest that achieving the full-year goals will require exceptional performance in the upcoming months, particularly during the peak travel periods in mid and late-2025.

The much-anticipated campaign remains conspicuously absent, with industry veterans stating that they are kept in the dark. Adding to the woes, Sri Lanka Tourism proposed a free-visa scheme for 39 countries approved in August 2024, which remains unimplemented due to bureaucratic delays and political transitions. (CdeS)