Sri Lanka Surpasses 1.1 Million Tourist Arrivals; Earnings Decline Year-on-Year

Sri Lanka has welcomed 1,104,354 tourists from January 1 to June 21, 2026, surpassing the 1.1 million mark for the year, with India being the primary source country contributing 31,158 visitors in June alone. Deputy Minister of Tourism, Ruwan Ranasinghe, stated that arrivals are nearing 1.2 million and have generated over US$1.5 billion in foreign exchange earnings. However, tourism revenue for the first six months of 2026 totalled US$1,511.1 million, a decrease from US$1,712.6 million in the same period last year. Monthly earnings also saw a dip, with June 2026 revenue at US$151.1 million, down from May 2026 and June 2025.