Wednesday Sep 09, 2026
Wednesday Sep 09, 2026
Wednesday, 9 September 2026 00:26 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sri Lanka’s tourism recovery showed signs of losing momentum at the start of September, with tourist arrivals during the first six days of the month falling 1.1% year-on-year (YoY), according to official arrival data.
A total of 31,885 tourists arrived between 1 and 6 September 2026, compared with 32,246 during the corresponding six-day period of September 2025, representing a decline of 361 visitors or 1.12%. The modest September contraction comes after arrivals had already weakened during the preceding two months, with August recording 191,704 arrivals, down 3.29% from 198,235 a year earlier, while July arrivals declined 1.70% to 196,845.
The daily average during the first six days of September 2020 was 5,314 compared to 5,374 in the same period last year. The strongest day in the comparable period came on 5 September, when arrivals reached 5,933.
The first six days of September pushed the 2026 cumulative total to 1,567,007, down 2% YoY compared to 1,598,769 in same period last year.
Despite the overall decline, India continued to provide a substantial cushion to Sri Lanka’s tourism numbers.
India accounted for 9,894 or 31% arrivals during the first six days of September, followed by Australia with 2,036 visitors, Germany with 1,762 and China with 1,645. France contributed 1,095 visitors, followed by Japan with 890, Spain with 871, Bangladesh with 848 and the Netherlands with 834.
India’s importance becomes even more pronounced over the full year-to-date (YTD) period. Between 1 January and 6 September 2026, Sri Lanka received 395,377 Indian tourists or 25% of Sri Lanka’s total tourist arrivals during the period, followed by the UK with 152,625 travellers, China with 102,473, Germany with 91,763 and Russia with 81,211.
