India has been the largest source of tourists to Sri Lanka this year, accounting for nearly one in every four international arrivals, according to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.
Sri Lanka recorded 1,436,926 arrivals as of August 13, of which 358,608 were Indian nationals — about 25% of the total. The United Kingdom was second with 140,892 arrivals, followed by China with 94,890 and Germany with 83,965.
India leads August too
India also tops the table for the current month. Of the 93,511 tourists who arrived in the first 13 days of August, 20,378 came from India.
The United States was the second-largest source over that period with 10,491 arrivals, followed by France with 7,198 and China with 6,383 — placing the US and France above China on the month, a reversal of their positions in the year-to-date ranking.
The SLTDA recorded 49,759 arrivals in the first week of August and a further 43,752 over the first six days of the second week.
Steady gains on an otherwise soft month
The figures extend earlier data showing arrivals passing 1.4 million on August 9, when the year-to-date Indian total stood at 351,713. India has added roughly 6,900 arrivals in the four days since.
India’s share of the market has been rising through the year, from around 21% in the January–August period of 2025 to close to 25% now — a shift attributed in part to the fact that Indian travellers reach Sri Lanka on direct and short-haul routes, while long-haul markets have been hit by Gulf airspace disruption. Arrivals in early August were still running about 8% below last year’s level, and the government has cut its 2026 target to 2.5 million from 3 million.
The second half of the month takes in the Kandy Esala Perahera, running August 18 to 27, which traditionally draws additional visitors.
