Sri Lanka has recorded 1,408,620 tourist arrivals so far this year, crossing the 1.4 million mark by August 9, according to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.
A total of 65,202 tourists arrived between August 1 and 9.
Source markets
India led arrivals over the first nine days of August with 13,483 visitors, followed by the United Kingdom with 7,460 and France with 5,388.
India also remains the largest source market for the year to date, with 351,713 arrivals. The United Kingdom is second at 137,861, while China accounts for 92,940.
February was the strongest month so far this year, bringing in 279,328 visitors.
Pace of growth
The milestone comes about two weeks after arrivals passed 1.3 million on July 26, meaning roughly 95,000 visitors arrived in the intervening fortnight.
Reaching 1.4 million inside eight months reflects the continued recovery of the tourism industry, the SLTDA said. Sri Lanka closed 2025 with 2.36 million arrivals, and authorities have set a target of 2.5 million for this year.
Tourism sits alongside worker remittances and export earnings as one of the country’s main sources of foreign exchange as it rebuilds external buffers following the 2022 economic crisis.
Source: Sri Lanka tourist arrivals surpass 1.4 million in 2026 — Ada Derana, August 11.
