Sri Lanka’s tourism sector has surpassed a major milestone this year, with tourist arrivals crossing the 950,000 mark by mid-May, according to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA).
Official figures show that a total of 951,742 tourists visited the island between January 1 and May 17, 2026, highlighting the continued strength of Sri Lanka’s tourism industry during the first months of the year.
India remained the leading source market, contributing the highest number of visitors with 221,953 arrivals during the period. The SLTDA also noted that a significant share of tourists arrived from key international markets including the United Kingdom, Russia, China and Germany.
In May alone, 75,465 tourists entered the country between May 1 and May 17, reflecting continued visitor inflows during the month.
However, tourism data also point to a slowdown in momentum, with daily tourist arrivals in May showing a notable decline compared to the stronger figures recorded during the first three months of 2026.
Despite the dip in daily arrivals, Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has maintained a strong performance overall, nearing the one-million-arrival milestone in less than five months into the year.
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