Sri Lanka’s tourism industry recorded a strong start to the autumn season with a 31% surge in arrivals, welcoming 111,823 tourists during the first three weeks of September 2025.
This marks a notable increase from the 85,366 arrivals recorded in the same period last year.
By 21 September 2025, year-to-date tourist arrivals reached 1,678,346, reflecting a 15.9% growth compared to 2024.
India continues to drive this momentum, retaining its place as the top source market with 32,570 arrivals — accounting for 29.1% of the total for the period.
The United Kingdom came second with 8,021 arrivals, while China, France, and Spain also featured among the top five markets for the month.
For the year overall, India, the UK, Russia, Germany, and China remain the leading contributors to arrivals.
Looking ahead, Sri Lanka is working toward the revised 2025 target of 2.6 million visitors. To achieve this, the country needs to attract an additional 921,654 tourists, requiring a weekly average of around 63,870 arrivals for the rest of the year.
Although this figure is higher than the current September weekly average, industry stakeholders remain optimistic that the winter peak season will provide the necessary boost to achieve the target.
