Tourist arrivals top 131,000 in first 15 days of January

Saturday, 17 January 2026 01:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

India leads source markets, followed by Russia and UK

The tourism industry is experiencing a striking influx as the country welcomed over 131,000 tourists in the first 15 days of the month, kicking off 2026 on an optimistic note.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) released provisional figures yesterday, indicating that 131,898 tourists were welcomed in the first half of the month, registering a 9.43% year-on-year (YoY) increase compared to including cruise ship arrivals.

From 1 to 15 July, average daily arrivals stood at 8,793 up from 8,040 visitors in the same period last year. The highest daily arrivals so far was registered on 15 January with 10,483 visitors.

India leads the arrivals during the first 15 days of the month with 23,786 or 18% of the total arrivals, followed by Russia with 14,785 (11%) and the UK with 12,166 (9%).

In addition, visitors from Germany, France, Australia, China, Poland, the US, and the Netherlands were also welcomed.