Tourists at Independence Square, Colombo 

PIC BY PRADEEP PATHIRANA

• Following travel warnings issued by United States, United Kingdom and others, over potential security threats, no immediate decline in arrivals was observed

By Nishel Fernando

Sri Lanka surpassed last October’s total tourist arrivals within the first 27 days of this month, indicating the potential for a double-digit growth trajectory. 

However, the country is projected to miss its monthly target, while the full impact of the recent travel advisories remains to be seen.

Sri Lanka welcomed 117,141 tourists during this period, with the daily average reaching 4,339 arrivals, up from the 4,233 daily average recorded in the first half of the month. The industry attributed the mid-year slowdown in arrivals partly to the visa-related issues.

Following the travel warnings issued by the United States, United Kingdom and others, over the potential security threats, no immediate decline in arrivals was observed. From October 22 to 27, the daily arrival average was 4,412 tourists.

If the current trends continue, Sri Lanka is likely to record approximately 134,789 arrivals for October, falling short of 18,334 for the monthly target of 153,123. This could still represent a year-on-year growth of around 18 percent for the month, marking a possible return to a double-digit growth, after a slowdown in September.

India remained the top source market, with 32,097 arrivals. The United Kingdom climbed to second, with 9,113 arrivals, followed by Germany, at 7,609, while China dropped to fourth, with 7,426 arrivals. Russia, Australia and France rounded out the top seven, with Bangladesh unexpectedly taking the eighth spot, with 3,488 arrivals, followed by the United States and Spain. Over half of the arrivals came from outside the top 10 source markets.

The cumulative arrivals for the year have now exceeded 1.6 million, with India leading at 318,653 arrivals, followed by the UK (145,577) and Russia (134,609).

Softlogic Stockbrokers (SSB) projects that Sri Lanka may fall short of its initial target of 2.3 million arrivals, potentially reaching around two million by year-end—a shortfall of 11.6 percent. The sector remains cautious about the potential effects of the recent travel warnings, especially from the key Western markets, as the winter season approaches.