Sri Lanka recorded 1,010,807 international tourist arrivals between January 1 and May 28, 2026, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) confirmed on Friday — the first official cumulative breakdown of the milestone announced by Foreign Affairs, Tourism and Foreign Employment Minister Vijitha Herath earlier this week.
May contributed 134,530 arrivals through the 28th. India was the leading source for the month with 56,063 visitors, followed by the United Kingdom on 8,582 and China on 8,439, according to SLTDA’s running totals.
Cumulatively for the year, India tops the leaderboard with 245,981 arrivals, followed by the United Kingdom on 97,427 and Russia on 75,963.
February was the peak month so far, recording 277,327 arrivals. Monthly inflows have eased since then, with arrivals stepping down through the 800,000 mark by mid-April, the 900,000 threshold on May 9, and crossing 990,000 by May 25 before the seven-figure milestone. Industry watchers have attributed the softer second-quarter pattern to the Middle East conflict and related travel uncertainty.
While volumes remain on a record pace, earnings have lagged: April tourism revenue fell 39 percent year on year, with shorter stays and weaker per-visitor spending offsetting the headline arrivals count.
