Sri Lanka’s tourism sector is off to a strong start in 2025, attracting 112,415 visitors in the first two weeks of January. This marks a 21.11% year-on-year (YoY) growth compared to 92,821 arrivals during the same period in 2024.
The daily average arrivals also saw a 21.12% YoY increase, rising to 8,030 from 6,630 in the corresponding period last year, highlighting the industry’s resilience and positive outlook for the year ahead.
India led the arrivals with 19,353 tourists, followed by Russia (17,225) and the UK (9,178). Germany and Australia were also key source markets, contributing 7,455 and 4,815 visitors, respectively.
Sri Lanka Tourism has set an ambitious target for 2025, aiming to attract 3 million tourists and generate $5 billion in revenue. In 2024, the country recorded over 2.05 million arrivals and $3.2 billion in earnings—the third-highest arrivals and fifth-highest revenue ever, and the highest since 2019.
Stakeholders remain optimistic about sustained growth, which is expected to boost foreign exchange inflows and support economic recovery.