Tourism arrivals cross 1.9 m; strong start to Nov. boosts optimism for record year

Friday, 7 November 2025 00:26 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

SL welcomes 32,815 tourists between 1–5 Nov., reflecting 7.2% YoY increase
Average daily arrivals rise to 6,563, up from 6,124 last year
Nov. arrivals projected to hit 260,229, surpassing both 2024 and pre-crisis 2018 benchmarks
Analysts forecast year-end arrivals over 2.4 m with early trends pointing toward strongest performance since 2018

Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has crossed the 1.9 million visitor milestone so far in 2025, with over 32,000 tourists arriving in the first five days of November, signalling a robust lead-up to the winter travel season and renewed confidence in the island’s recovery as a premier destination.

According to provisional data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), a total of 32,815 tourists arrived in the country between 1 and 5 November 2025, reflecting a 7.2% year-on-year (YoY) increase compared to the same period last year. During the corresponding period in 2024, the country had welcomed 1.65 million visitors.

The average daily arrivals in the first days of November stood at 6,563, up from 6,124 in the same period in 2024, indicating a steady upward trajectory in visitor inflows.

With this momentum, the SLTDA expects November arrivals to reach around 260,229, potentially surpassing the pre-crisis benchmark of 195,582 visitors in November 2018 and the 184,158 arrivals recorded in November 2024. This marks one of the strongest monthly performances in recent years, reaffirming tourism’s role as a vital driver of foreign exchange and economic revival.

The first five days of November saw India remain the top source market with 7,830 arrivals, followed by Russia (4,421), Germany (2,674), the UK (2,340) and Australia (1,325). Year-to-date, India leads with 431,235 visitors, followed by the UK with 177,167 and Russia with 138,061 tourists.

The SLTDA’s revised outlook for 2025 includes three possible scenarios: a ‘Lower Scenario’ of 2.415 million arrivals, a ‘Conservative Scenario’ of 2.676 million, and an ‘Optimistic Scenario’ of 3 million (https://www.sltda.gov.lk/storage/common_media/Growth_Scenarios_2025_final_1.pdf).

Industry analysts said the early November surge, coupled with strong forward bookings for winter, strengthens hopes of surpassing the 2.4 million visitor threshold and positioning 2025 as Sri Lanka’s best-performing tourism year on record.