Tuesday Feb 03, 2026
Tuesday Feb 03, 2026
Tuesday, 3 February 2026 02:14 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Charumini de Silva
Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has begun 2026 on a strong footing, recording its highest-ever January arrivals, welcoming over 277,000 visitors and surpassing the previous high of 252,761 registered last year.
The country welcomed 277,327 tourists in January, marking a 10% year-on-year (YoY) increase compared to the same period last year. The improvement was underpinned by a notable rise in average daily arrivals, highlighting the industry’s continued recovery momentum following several years of disruption.
Average daily arrivals stood at 8,946 during the month, while the highest single-day inflow was recorded on 15 January, when 10,483 visitors arrived in the country. Weekly figures showed a steady upward trend, with 58,822 arrivals in the first week of January, followed by 62,590 in the second week, 64,077 in the third, and a sharp rise to 91,838 in the final week of the month.
India emerged as Sri Lanka’s largest source market in January, accounting for 52,061 visitors or 19% of total arrivals. The UK ranked second with 29,540 visitors, representing 11% of the total, followed by Russia with 27,134 arrivals. Other key markets included Germany (17,776), China (14,003), France (13,569), Australia (11,172), Poland (10,334), the US (7,373), and the Netherlands (7,107).
Market-wise trends also showed mixed performances. Arrivals from India recorded a strong 20% YoY increase, while the UK market expanded even faster, posting a 36% YoY growth. In contrast, arrivals from Russia declined by 26% YoY, reflecting ongoing shifts in travel patterns from Eastern Europe.
In January, Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath said the Government is targeting at least 3 million tourist arrivals in 2026, building on the sector’s recovery in recent years. In 2025, Sri Lanka attracted a record 2.36 million visitors, the highest annual total achieved to date.
Herath also confirmed that the proposed free-visa scheme is expected to be launched before the end of the first quarter of 2026, a move aimed at further stimulating arrivals from key and emerging markets.
In addition, he reiterated the Government’s commitment to rolling out the long-delayed nation branding initiative within the year, although he cautioned that procurement procedures make it difficult to provide a precise implementation timeline (https://www.ft.lk/top-story/Tourism-arrivals-grow-by-15-to-2-36-m-record-high-in-2025/26-786582).
Industry stakeholders view the strong January performance as a positive signal for the year ahead, particularly if policy measures such as visa facilitation and destination branding are implemented as planned.
