Tuesday Jul 14, 2026
Tuesday Jul 14, 2026
Tuesday, 14 July 2026 06:58 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sri Lanka’s tourism industry crossed the 1.2 million visitor milestone during the first half of July, although arrivals continue to trail last year’s pace as the sector recovers from disruptions earlier this year.
Provisional data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) showed that 71,383 tourists arrived in the country during the 1-12 July period, a 3% decline from the 73,343 visitors recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.
The first 12 days of July generated a daily average of 5,949 arrivals, with the month traditionally regarded as one of the stronger periods for tourism due to school holidays in key markets and Sri Lanka’s calendar of cultural and religious events.
The latest inflows pushed cumulative tourist arrivals for 2026 to over 1.2 million, although year-to-date (YTD) arrivals remained 2% below the corresponding period last year.
India maintained its dominance as Sri Lanka’s largest source market, contributing 16,610 visitors during the first 12 days of July, accounting for 23% of total arrivals. The UK ranked second with 7,296 tourists (10%), followed by Australia with 4,656 visitors (9%), China with 4,316 arrivals (6%), and the Netherlands with 3,547 tourists (5%).
On a cumulative basis, India continued to lead all source markets with 310,293 visitors, representing 25% of all tourist arrivals recorded so far this year. The UK remained the second-largest source market with 115,863 arrivals (10%).
In a notable shift in rankings, China overtook Russia to become Sri Lanka’s third-largest source market for 2026 so far, contributing 80,487 tourists or 7% of total arrivals. Russia slipped to fourth place with 78,043 visitors, accounting for 6% of cumulative arrivals.
Despite remaining below last year’s performance, the tourism industry is expected to benefit from the traditional peak summer travel season and an expanded international marketing drive scheduled to begin in key overseas markets in the coming weeks, as authorities seek to accelerate arrivals during the second half of the year.
