Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is witnessing a strong surge, with over 300,000 visitors recorded in 2025 so far, reflecting significant growth and optimism in the sector.
The first week of February alone saw more than 50,000 arrivals, with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) reporting 44,293 visitors within the first five days of the month. The daily average arrivals have now reached 8,859, surpassing last year’s figure of 8,282 per day during the same period.
Building on the success of 2024, the SLTDA has set an ambitious target of 310,937 visitors for February, following the 252,761 arrivals recorded in January. Despite January achieving the highest monthly arrivals ever, it fell short of the initial projection of 305,687 tourists by 52,926 visitors.
India, Russia, the UK, China, and Germany have emerged as the top five source markets this month, with additional strong inflows from France, Poland, Australia, the Netherlands, and Bangladesh.
Industry stakeholders remain optimistic about maintaining the upward trend, while all eyes are on the long-awaited global tourism campaign, expected to roll out this month. The initiative, which was initially planned for January 2025, aims to establish a unified national brand, moving beyond temporary campaign taglines to enhance Sri Lanka’s global tourism appeal and maximize return on investment.