Tourist arrivals gain pace in June, but annual target still elusive

Wednesday, 2 July 2025 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka welcomes 138,241 tourists in June up 22% YoY driven by Dawoodi Bohra convention boost
Misses monthly target for sixth consecutive month, as June falls short by 39,016 visitors
YTD arrivals reach just under 1.17 m, up 15.6% YoY
India remains top market in June trailed by UK and China
SL must attract over 1.83 m tourists in 2H to meet 3 m target
Analysts warn current momentum is insufficient without urgent marketing and project implementations

June demonstrated Sri Lanka’s continuing appeal even in the face of geographical headwinds, attracting 138,241 visitors with a 22% year-on-year (YoY) increase, whilst the Dawoodi Bohra convention served as a timely one-off boost in arrivals.

Hosting the Dawoodi Bohra International Convention in Colombo from 27 June to 5 July provided a crucial shot in the arm for the sector, which has seen struggling against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East that disrupted air traffic on key Europe-bound routes via Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Weekly arrivals in June reflected this shift with the first week drawing 31,547 visitors, the second week 28,240, the third week 28,622 and the final week a notable spike to 49,831 as Bohra convention participants flooded in.

This also pushed up average daily arrivals in June to 4,608 tourists, reflecting a 22% increase over the 3,782 visitors seen during June 2024.

Despite this surge in June, the industry missed the monthly target for the sixth consecutive month in 2025, as June fell short of its monthly target of 177,257 by 39,016 visitors, raising concerns about meeting annual tourism goals.

The latest figures brought year-to-date (YTD) arrivals just under 1.17 million (1,168,044), up by 15.6% YoY. Notably, compared to the benchmark year of 2018, the country has registered a marginal 0.29% growth, welcoming 3,397 more visitors.

Among the top source markets, India retained its dominance, sending 37,934 visitors in June alone, representing 27% of the total for the month, whilst the UK followed with 11,628 tourists and China provided 8,804. Other notable markets included; Australia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Germany, the US, France and Canada.

For the YTD tally, India accounted for 241,994 arrivals with a commanding 21% share, followed by Russia at 112,312 and the UK with 107,902 tourists.

Sri Lanka Tourism has set an ambitious target of 3 million arrivals and $ 5 billion in revenue for 2025. However, with over 1.16 million visitors so far, the country will need to attract over 1.83 million tourists in the next six months—meaning a steep 61% of the annual target still remains to be achieved. This also translates to a requirement of around 305,000 tourists per month for the remainder of the year, nearly triple the current monthly average of 195,000.

Industry analysts caution that meeting this target will be challenging given the current realities. The long-awaited nation branding campaign has yet to materialise, while a proposed free-visa scheme for 39 countries solved as far back as August 2024 remains mired in bureaucratic delays.

The analysts warn that growth will require far stronger policy execution and proactive marketing. “Sri Lanka is on the right path, but the current momentum will not be enough to hit 3 million arrivals unless serious reforms, marketing and facilitation measures are fast-tracked,” they opined.

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