Sri Lanka tourist arrivals down 9% in first half of June

Tuesday, 16 June 2026 04:07 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Arrivals during first 14 days reach 54,465
YTD visitors decline by 1.2% YoY to 1.07 m
India largest YTD source at 25%, followed by UK, Russia

Sri Lanka welcomed 54,465 tourists during the first 14 days of June, marking a 9% decline compared to the 59,787 visitors recorded during the corresponding period last year.

Data show that 27,043 tourists arrived during the first week of the month, followed by 27,422 arrivals in the second week. Average daily arrivals stood at 3,890, down from 4,271 during the same period in 2025.

- Pic by Pradeep Pathirana

Sri Lanka tourist...

Despite the slowdown in June, total tourist arrivals for the year up to 14 June reached 1,076,487. However, the figure remains 1.2% lower than the 1,089,590 arrivals recorded during the corresponding period last year.

India remained Sri Lanka’s largest source market during the first two weeks of June, accounting for 21,839 arrivals or 40% of the total. The UK followed with 4,160 visitors (8%), while China contributed 3,530 arrivals (6%), Australia 3,105 (6%), and Bangladesh 1,813 (3%).

On a year-to-date (YTD) basis, India continues to dominate arrivals with 272,099 visitors, representing 25% of total arrivals. The UK ranked second with 102,253 tourists or 9% of the total, followed by Russia with 76,686 arrivals, accounting for 7%.

The latest figures indicate a moderation in tourism momentum after a strong start to the year, although arrivals have remained above the 1-million mark for the year so far.