Tourist arrivals top 1 m mark

Monday, 1 June 2026 00:26 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In a remarkable feat for Sri Lanka’s tourism sector, arrivals surpassed the 1 million mark on 28 May, sparking optimism about meeting the ambitious target of 3 million visitors by the end of the year.

From 1 January to 28 May, the country welcomed a total of 1.01 million tourists, reflecting a 1% year-on-year (YoY) decline compared to the same period last year.

During the first 28 days of May, 134,530 visitors arrived in the country, up 12% YoY compared to 120,120 during the same period.

The daily average arrivals figure up to 28 May has climbed YoY to 4,805 from 4,290.

India remains the biggest source of tourists, accounting for 56,063 visitors or 42% of total arrivals between 1 and 28 May, followed by the UK with 8,582 (6%), and China with 8,439 (6%) visitors. India also leads arrivals year-to-date (YTD) at 245,981, followed by the UK with 97,427 travellers, and Russia with 75,963 tourists.

For Sri Lanka to reach the ambitious target of 3 million arrivals by the end of 2026, the industry will need to crank out its best performance, as another 66.3% or nearly 2 million visitors must be achieved over the next seven months.