Sri Lanka tourism is running just behind its record year. From January to September 2026 the country counted 1,693,679 tourist arrivals, 1.8% fewer than in the same nine months of 2025 (SLTDA). January set a monthly record and February beat it. March and April then fell by about a fifth, which the tourism authority attributed mainly to the Gulf conflict (SLTDA). The year also brought a free ETA for 40 countries (official ETA site), a low-cost flight from Melbourne (Daily Mirror) and a railway still under repair (Colombo Times). Arrival counts are the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority’s, and the changes and shares in our tables are our own sums.
Key takeaways
- Arrivals from January to September 2026 came to 1,693,679, which is 31,815 fewer than a year earlier.
- 2025 is still the record year, with 2,362,521 arrivals. The earlier peak, 2018, had 2,333,796.
- India sends about one visitor in four. The UK is second and China third.
- In 2025 the busiest months were December, January and February. May and June were the quietest.
- Citizens of 40 countries no longer pay for the 30-day tourist ETA, a change dated 25 May 2026. They still have to get one before they arrive.
Sri Lanka tourist arrivals in 2026, month by month
The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) builds its arrival figures from Department of Immigration and Emigration data (SLTDA). Our table runs to 30 September.
| Month | 2026 | 2025 | Difference | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 277,327 | 252,761 | +24,566 | +9.7% | SLTDA monthly table |
| February | 279,328 | 240,217 | +39,111 | +16.3% | SLTDA monthly table |
| March | 183,979 | 229,298 | -45,319 | -19.8% | SLTDA monthly table |
| April | 135,643 | 174,608 | -38,965 | -22.3% | SLTDA monthly table |
| May | 145,745 | 132,919 | +12,826 | +9.6% | SLTDA monthly table |
| June | 124,551 | 138,241 | -13,690 | -9.9% | SLTDA monthly table |
| July | 196,845 | 200,244 | -3,399 | -1.7% | SLTDA monthly table |
| August | 191,704 | 198,235 | -6,531 | -3.3% | SLTDA monthly table |
| September | 158,557 | 158,971 | -414 | -0.3% | SLTDA weekly report |
| January to September | 1,693,679 | 1,725,494 | -31,815 | -1.8% | SLTDA weekly report |
Six of the nine months were down on 2025 and three were up. February’s 279,328 is the highest monthly figure SLTDA has recorded (SLTDA). Its March report put that month’s fall mainly down to the Gulf and Middle East conflict and the disruption to transit hubs (SLTDA). April, it said later, was still under the same pressure (SLTDA). Since July the gap with 2025 has been small: 1.7%, then 3.3%, then 0.3%.
We ran the Change column ourselves, to one decimal place, and two figures differ from SLTDA’s print. It prints 16.2% for February, but 39,111 more visitors on 240,217 is 16.28%. For March its weekly report prints 19.7% and its monthly table 19.8%, and the counts give 19.76%. September’s 0.3% is the weekly report’s 0.26%, rounded (SLTDA). The 1,725,494 for January to September 2025 is our sum of its nine monthly figures (SLTDA).
Is Sri Lanka tourism recovering?
On the long view, yes. Arrivals fell from 2,333,796 in 2018 to 194,495 in 2021 (SLTDA). They then rose every year to 2,362,521 in 2025, which SLTDA calls the highest number in the country’s history (SLTDA). That beat 2018 by 28,725 visitors, or 1.2%.
| Year | Tourist arrivals | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2,333,796 | SLTDA growth trends |
| 2019 | 1,913,702 | SLTDA growth trends |
| 2020 | 507,704 | SLTDA growth trends |
| 2021 | 194,495 | SLTDA growth trends |
| 2022 | 719,978 | SLTDA growth trends |
| 2023 | 1,487,303 | SLTDA growth trends |
| 2024 | 2,053,465 | SLTDA Year in Review 2025 |
| 2025 | 2,362,521 | SLTDA Year in Review 2025 |
| 2026, January to September | 1,693,679 | SLTDA weekly report |
To match 2025, October to December 2026 would have to bring 668,842 visitors. Those months brought 637,027 in 2025 (SLTDA), so the last quarter needs to be about 5% bigger. In a Daily Mirror interview published on 31 August 2026, SLTDA’s chairman said he expected to pass 2.5 million by the end of the year (Daily Mirror). That would take more than 806,321 arrivals in the last quarter, 27% above the same months of 2025.
Earnings are harder to compare. Central Bank figures put tourism earnings at USD 2,061.1 million for January to August 2026, against USD 2,290.0 million a year earlier. That’s a fall of 10.0%, in months when arrivals fell 2.0%. A footnote says SLTDA revised its method for estimating earnings in May 2026 and applied it from January 2026 (Central Bank of Sri Lanka). It doesn’t say the 2025 months were recalculated, so the two years may not be like for like.
Stays are shorter too. SLTDA’s long series has an average of 10.8 nights in 2018 (SLTDA). Its review of 2025 gives 8.29 nights (SLTDA).
Sri Lanka tourism statistics: where visitors come from
| Country | Arrivals, January to September 2026 | Share | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 437,414 | 25.8% | SLTDA weekly report |
| United Kingdom | 160,727 | 9.5% | SLTDA weekly report |
| China | 112,550 | 6.6% | SLTDA weekly report |
| Germany | 97,278 | 5.7% | SLTDA weekly report |
| Australia | 86,989 | 5.1% | SLTDA weekly report |
| Russian Federation | 82,991 | 4.9% | SLTDA weekly report |
| France | 78,860 | 4.7% | SLTDA weekly report |
| United States | 45,686 | 2.7% | SLTDA weekly report |
| Netherlands | 41,343 | 2.4% | SLTDA weekly report |
| Canada | 34,186 | 2.0% | SLTDA weekly report |
The mix is shifting. In the first eight months of 2026, arrivals from India were up 18.4% on 2025, from Australia 11.4% and from China 10.7%. Russia fell 32.0%, the Netherlands 19.6%, France 10.9% and Germany 7.8%, while the UK slipped 0.8%. Most come on holiday: in August 2026, 70.84% of visitors gave pleasure or vacation as their purpose and 14.09% were visiting friends and relatives (SLTDA).
When Sri Lanka is busy: the two seasons
Tourism in Sri Lanka follows the monsoons. On Sri Lanka Tourism’s weather page, the south-west coast has its peak tourist season from December to February. For May to September the page lists heavy rainfall on that coast and in the hills, and recommends Trincomalee, Arugam Bay and Jaffna instead (Sri Lanka Tourism).
In 2025 the three busiest months were December (258,928), January (252,761) and February (240,217). May (132,919) and June (138,241) were the quietest (SLTDA). December brought almost twice as many visitors as May.
The best time to visit Sri Lanka comes down to which coast you want, and these are national counts. They can’t tell you how busy one beach or town will be, or what a room costs.
What changed for visitors in 2026
A free ETA for 40 countries
Entry rules head any list of what to know before visiting Sri Lanka, and they changed this year. Since 25 May 2026, citizens of 40 countries can get the 30-day tourist ETA free of charge. The UK, the United States, Australia, Germany, France and India are all on the list. Applicants from other countries pay USD 50 online, or USD 20 if they’re from South Asia (ETA fees page). Free doesn’t mean optional. On 4 October 2026 the site said every foreign national must obtain the ETA before arrival (official ETA site).
Flights: Gulf disruption and new direct routes
The UK Foreign Office’s advice for Sri Lanka, updated on 21 September 2026, warns that escalation in the Middle East has caused airspace closures and delayed and cancelled flights. Some flights from Colombo to the UK through Middle Eastern hubs may be delayed, postponed or re-routed, it says (GOV.UK). In 2025, 709,242 arrivals took their last flight from Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi, 30.0% of the year’s total (SLTDA). Jetstar’s first Melbourne to Colombo flight landed in the last week of August 2026, and the airline flies the route three times a week. The Daily Mirror called it Sri Lanka’s first low-cost direct link to Australia (Daily Mirror). That adds to the schedule changes in our August note on flights from Australia and Singapore. British Airways announced in March that it would fly from London Gatwick to Colombo three times a week from 23 October 2026, for the winter season only (British Airways).
Trains after Cyclone Ditwah
Cyclone Ditwah brought heavy rain to Sri Lanka in late November and early December 2025 (Wikipedia). It shut the hill railway. According to Ada Derana, trains to Peradeniya and Gampola restarted from Colombo Fort on 2 October 2026, after about ten months. The one it described that morning was a trial run with no passengers (Ada Derana). The regular timetable was due from that afternoon (Colombo Times). On 4 October the Sunday Times reported that the service had resumed that Friday, welcomed by passengers and villagers along the line (Sunday Times).
None of those trains reached Kandy. The transport minister told journalists that services towards Kandy would go only as far as Peradeniya, because repairs to the bridge over the Mahaweli river weren’t complete (Sunday Times). A Colombo Times report of 2 October said two more sections, from Gampola to Nawalapitiya and from Hatton to Nanu Oya, were still under repair. Between Nanu Oya and Badulla, it said, trains were operating normally (Colombo Times). Ella is a few stops from Badulla on the Nanu Oya stretch (Wikivoyage). On those reports there was no through train from Kandy to Ella in early October 2026. Our Kandy to Ella train guide explains how to cover the gap by road. Check Sri Lanka Railways before you plan a rail day.
Drought, fuel, rain and official advice
Yala National Park’s Blocks 1 and 2 closed on 14 September 2026 because of dry weather. The closure was announced as lasting one month, until 15 October (Ada Derana). If you travel later, check that both have reopened before you book a safari.
The UK advice also says the government is limiting fuel purchases, with a weekly quota for every vehicle, and has announced special arrangements for tour operators and hotels. It adds a warning about flooding and landslides after heavy rain in the inter-monsoon season, and states that no travel can be guaranteed safe (GOV.UK). Its safety page says terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka cannot be ruled out (GOV.UK). Read your own government’s advice before you book.
Where visitors go, in numbers
SLTDA’s review of 2025 counts foreign visitors at ticketed sites. Beaches, towns and train rides sell no entry tickets, so many of the things to do in Sri Lanka don’t appear. Our table picks eleven sites from five of SLTDA’s lists and isn’t a full ranking.
| Site | Foreign visitors in 2025 | Listed by SLTDA under |
|---|---|---|
| Sigiriya | 582,687 | Central Cultural Fund sites |
| Yala | 426,535 | National parks |
| Peradeniya | 334,823 | Botanical gardens |
| Hurulu Eco Park | 221,434 | Conservation forests |
| Udawalawe | 197,981 | National parks |
| Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage | 196,381 | Zoological gardens |
| Polonnaruwa | 184,661 | Central Cultural Fund sites |
| Mirissa whale watching | 107,324 | National parks |
| Minneriya | 76,422 | National parks |
| Wilpattu | 76,389 | National parks |
| Horton Plains | 51,770 | National parks |
The Cultural Triangle
Sigiriya, in the Cultural Triangle, had the most foreign visitors of any site in those lists: 582,687, equal to about a quarter of 2025’s arrivals (SLTDA). It is one of Sri Lanka’s eight World Heritage Sites, inscribed in 1982 with Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura (Wikipedia). On the Central Cultural Fund’s list, last updated on 24 September 2026, a Sigiriya ticket is USD 35 and the other two USD 30 each (Central Cultural Fund).
The south coast and the safari parks
Yala’s 426,535 foreign visitors in 2025 were 55% of everyone who entered the park. Udawalawe counted 197,981, and whale watching at Mirissa 107,324. Horton Plains, in the hills, is the opposite case: 335,313 Sri Lankans against 51,770 foreigners (SLTDA).
Where the rooms are
Before you decide where to go in Sri Lanka, look at where the registered rooms are. Of 59,578 rooms registered with SLTDA in 2025, the Western Province held 34.3% and the Southern Province 26.4%, about 61% between them. The Central Province, with Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, held 16.6%, the Eastern 4.6% and the Northern 2.0%. Almost everyone starts in the west: 95.2% of tourists arrived through Bandaranaike International Airport (SLTDA).
What visitors spend: averages, taxes and the rupee
SLTDA’s 2025 review works from an average visitor spend of USD 171.74 a day for January to July and USD 148.26 for August to December. Both figures are provisional and rest on its surveys of inbound tourists (SLTDA). They average every kind of traveller, which is why our Sri Lanka budget travel guide works from individual dated prices instead. Businesses registered for VAT charge 18%, the standard rate since 1 January 2024 (Inland Revenue). Hotels may add a service charge: SLTDA’s levy rules refer to service charges of up to 10% of a hotel’s sales (SLTDA). The rupee has weakened too: a US dollar bought LKR 309.99 at the end of 2025 and LKR 330.83 at the end of September 2026, a depreciation of 6.3% (Central Bank of Sri Lanka). Ask whether a quoted price includes VAT and service.
Who regulates tourism in Sri Lanka, and how to check a licence
Sri Lanka’s travel and tourism trade answers to one regulator: SLTDA, the government institution charged with regularising the industry. The Tourism Act No. 38 of 2005, which took effect in October 2007, created it in place of the old Sri Lanka Tourist Board. The same Act set up the Tourism Promotion Bureau to handle marketing (SLTDA). The Bureau runs the official visitor site (Sri Lanka Tourism).
Under section 48 of the Act, tourism businesses must register with SLTDA and hold a licence. Its public notice covers businesses such as hotels, guest houses, homestays, travel agencies, guide services, safari jeep operators and whale and dolphin watching (SLTDA). You can check the registers yourself. We searched each one on 4 October 2026:
- Travel agents. Search by name or registration number. Entries on the formal list show a registration number, a licence number and how long the licence is valid. We found 483 agents with a formal registration and 132 with a provisional one (Sri Lanka Tourism).
- Tour guides. We found 3,054 entries. You can filter by guide type (national, chauffeur, area or site) and by language (Sri Lanka Tourism).
- Tourist drivers. This list had 982 entries, searchable by name, registration number or association (Sri Lanka Tourism).
- Places to stay. SLTDA’s registration page links to its lists of registered hotels, guest houses, bungalows and homestays (SLTDA).
So ask any operator two questions. What is your SLTDA registration number? And until when is the licence valid? Then look it up.
If something goes wrong, SLTDA’s tourism hotline is 1912 (SLTDA). It runs an online complaints system that gives each complaint a tracking number (SLTDA).
Questions about Sri Lanka tourism
How many tourists visit Sri Lanka each year?
In 2025 there were 2,362,521 arrivals, the highest annual figure SLTDA has recorded. The earlier peak was 2,333,796 in 2018 (SLTDA).
Is tourism in Sri Lanka down in 2026?
A little. January to September 2026 brought 1,693,679 arrivals, 1.8% fewer than the same months of 2025 (SLTDA). March and April fell by about a fifth, and each month since July has been within 3.3% of 2025 (SLTDA).
Which country sends the most tourists to Sri Lanka?
India. It accounted for 437,414 arrivals from January to September 2026, which is 25.8% of the total. The UK followed with 160,727 and China with 112,550 (SLTDA).
What is the peak tourist season in Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka Tourism’s weather page puts the peak season on the south-west coast at December to February (Sri Lanka Tourism). December was the busiest month of 2025, with 258,928 arrivals (SLTDA).
Plan a trip with the season in mind
Oura Travel works from Weligama, on the south coast. Every trip we plan is private and has its own driver-guide. Send us your dates and the places you’d like to see, and we’ll map a route with you.
Each Sri Lanka tourism figure was read in the SLTDA, Central Bank or official page linked beside it on 4 October 2026, and the changes and shares in our tables are our own arithmetic. Arrivals, rail repairs, park closures and flights all move, so look at the linked pages before you travel.
