Wednesday Jan 07, 2026
Wednesday Jan 07, 2026
Tuesday, 6 January 2026 03:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Charumini de Silva
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| Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath | SLTDA Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam |
Sri Lanka’s tourism industry closed 2025 on a historic high, recording its highest-ever annual arrivals with over 2.36 million visitors, signalling a strong recovery after six years marked by crises and disruptions.
Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath yesterday said the final tally surpassed the previous record set in 2018 by 1.23%, whilst posting a robust 15.1% year-on-year (YoY) growth. The performance marks a critical milestone for an industry that has weathered the Easter Sunday attacks in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, an unprecedented economic crisis in 2022, global travel advisories and a devastating cyclone in November 2025.
December capped the year with the strongest monthly performance in Sri Lanka’s tourism history, welcoming 258,928 visitors, up 4.2% from the same month last year.
Arrivals in December 2025 also exceeded December 2018 levels by 2.27%, or 5,759 visitors, underlining sustained demand during the peak season.
The highest daily arrivals were recorded on 27 December with 12,397 tourists, while the fourth week of December delivered a record 104,319 arrivals, compared to 43,976 in the first week, 49,054 in the second and 61,579 in the third week. Average daily arrivals reached a new high of 8,354 visitors, surpassing the 8,179 daily average recorded in December 2018.
Minister Herath said the results highlighted Sri Lanka’s resilience as a destination, despite setbacks such as delays in launching the nation branding campaign, the yet-to-be-implemented free-visa scheme for 47 countries, global travel advisories and the impact of Cyclone Ditwah in November 2025.
“We are proud that Sri Lanka still managed to record the highest-ever tourism numbers. We are hopeful that tourism revenue will continue to grow and support the economy at a crucial time,” he said.
Although the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) revised its original 3 million arrival target down to 2.4 million in August 2025, the final outcome narrowly missed the revised goal.
December arrivals fell short of the projected 344,309 by 85,381 visitors, but strong year-end performance helped push the annual total beyond the long-standing 2018 benchmark of around 2.33 million arrivals.
India remained Sri Lanka’s largest source market in 2025, contributing 531,511 visitors or 27% of total arrivals. Other major markets included the UK (212,277; 9%), Russian Federation (186,580; 8%), Germany (147,966; 6%), China (132,035; 6%), Australia (109,487; 5%), France (109,041; 5%), the US (65,973; 3%), the Netherlands (64,164; 3%) and Bangladesh (59,563; 3%).
Tourism earnings for 2025 are estimated to have exceeded $ 3.2 billion, improving on the $ 3.17 billion recorded in 2024. However, revenue projections have been moderated following an update to spending assumptions. In November, SLTDA announced that it revised its per-day tourist spending estimate from $ 171, based on a 2018 survey, to $ 148 under an updated assessment completed in August 2025.
For 2026, the Government is targeting a minimum of 3 million arrivals in 2026, an ambitious 27% YoY increase, as it seeks to accelerate recovery and support rebuilding efforts following Cyclone Ditwah.
Herath also said the free-visa scheme would be launched before the end of the first quarter of 2026 and pledged to roll out the long-delayed nation branding initiative this year, though he cautioned that procurement processes make it difficult to commit to a precise timeline.
SLTDA Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam said the recovery mirrors the rapid growth seen in 2010, following the end of the civil conflict, when tourism expanded by a record 46.1%.
He noted that Sri Lanka is now targeting new products and markets, particularly the Americas and the Middle East, while aiming to boost summer arrivals from Eastern Europe.
Hewawasam said the SLTDA is targeting around $ 500 million in tourism-sector investments in 2026, following $ 329 million secured last year from 126 projects on 3,000 acres of land opened for tenders. In addition, he said last year, the country added 4,600 new rooms, taking total registered capacity to over 58,000 rooms.
Despite the record-breaking performance, industry stakeholders acknowledge that delays in the global marketing campaign and visa-free schemes contributed to Sri Lanka falling short of revised targets. Nevertheless, they said optimism remains strong, pointing to the momentum gained in 2025 as a platform for sustained growth.
Under a five-year plan to 2030, the Government aims to attract more than 5 million visitors and generate around $ 8 billion in annual tourism revenue.
