Sri Lanka has recorded 46,606 tourist arrivals so far in May, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) said, with India accounting for 40 percent of the total, Ada Derana reported on Tuesday.
According to the latest SLTDA figures, 18,533 of this month’s visitors arrived from India. China contributed 3,472 arrivals, the United Kingdom 2,517, Australia 2,441 and the United States 1,873. Together, the top five source markets account for nearly two-thirds of arrivals so far this month.
The total for May 2025 was 132,919 tourists, a substantially higher base that points to a sharp year-on-year shortfall in May 2026 to date. The drop coincides with persistent disruption from the Middle East conflict, which has weighed on European, Gulf and East Asian connectivity into Colombo across the first half of the year. April closed at 117,893 arrivals, well below earlier SLTDA scenario forecasts.
Year-to-date 2026 arrivals stand at 922,883, the SLTDA said, taking the country closer to the one-million milestone tracked through early May. India remains the single largest source market for the year with 208,451 arrivals, followed by the United Kingdom at 91,362 and Russia at 74,628.
The May data confirms a continued reliance on the regional South Asia market — India alone is delivering four in every ten arrivals this month — even as the broader monthly volume runs well below 2025 levels. Tourism revenue, hotel occupancy and forward-bookings reports remain the next set of data points to watch as the SLTDA’s full May tally closes out.
Source: Ada Derana.
