Sri Lanka has registered 148,983 international arrivals and by March 31
Sri Lanka looks set to set a record in terms of international tourist arrivals in the first quarter of the current year, with a double-digit growth in January and February placing it comfortably above the highest ever arrivals recorded in 2018.
According to data provided by Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), in January 2025, Sri Lanka received 252,761 foreign visitors, which are not only 21.4 pc higher than the arrivals in January 2024, but also above the best performance by the country’s tourism industry in January 2018 when it received 238,924 visitors.
Similarly, the number in February 2025 was 240,217, which is not only 10 pc higher than the arrivals in February last year, but also above the 235,618 visitors the country received in February 2018.
And up to March 20, this year, Sri Lanka has registered 148,983 international arrivals and by March 31, it looks set to surpass the levels of 209,181 in March 2024 and 233,382 in March 2018. Notably, so far international arrivals in Sri Lanka have been the highest every single day, except a couple, in March.
According to SLTDA figures, up to March 20, the country had received 641,961 foreign visitors. In full year 2024, the country had received 2.05 million foreign visitors and in 2018, the highest-ever arrivals stood at 2.33 million. This year, Sri Lanka has set a target of at least 2.5 million foreign visitors.
According to SLTDA, India continues to dominate the source markets, with 16.2 pc share, or 103,984 tourists, followed by Russia at 84,259, with 13.1 pc, and United Kingdom at 60,003 visitors, giving it a share of 9.3 pc.
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