142 Sri Lanka Tourism Statistics for 2026

How many tourists visit Sri Lanka each year?

Arrivals set a record in 2025, seven years after the previous peak. The years between brought three shocks: the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, the pandemic border closure and the 2022 economic crisis.

View data table

Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka, 2010 to 2023, in millions, from SLTDA's long-run series.

Period	Value
2010	0.65m
2011	0.86m
2012	1.01m
2013	1.27m
2014	1.53m
2015	1.80m
2016	2.05m
2017	2.12m
2018	2.33m
2019	1.91m
2020	0.51m
2021	0.19m
2022	0.72m
2023	1.49m

• The previous record was 2,333,796 arrivals in 2018, so 2025 was 1.2% higher. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• Every month of 2025 was busier than the same month of 2024, and September grew fastest, by 30.2%. Even so, March, April, June, July and August were still below their 2018 levels. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• Sri Lanka had 2,053,465 tourist arrivals in 2024, 38.1% more than in 2023 on our calculation. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2024), Apr 2026)
• Arrivals were 1,487,303 in 2023, more than double the 2022 count. (SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2023), Oct 2024)
• Sri Lanka had 654,476 tourist arrivals in 2010. It passed 1 million for the first time in 2012, with 1,005,605, and 2 million in 2016, with 2,050,832. (SLTDA (growth trends), Jul 2024)
• Arrivals fell 18% in 2019, to 1,913,702. (SLTDA (monthly arrivals), Jan 2020)
• In May 2019, the month after the Easter Sunday attacks of 21 April, arrivals were 37,802, down 70.8% on May 2018. (SLTDA (monthly arrivals), Jul 2019)
• Arrivals fell 73.5% to 507,704 in 2020. After 71,370 in March, the monthly count was zero from April to November, and 393 in December. (SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2020), Apr 2022)
• 2021 was the low point, with 194,495 arrivals and fewer than 5,100 in each month from January to August. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2022), Mar 2023)
• Arrivals rose 270.2% to 719,978 in 2022, but during the economic crisis they fell from 106,500 in March to 29,802 in September. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2022), Mar 2023)

Tourist arrivals are non-resident overnight visitors, counted at the border by the Department of Immigration and Emigration; same-day cruise visitors are counted separately. A person who visits twice counts twice. The long-run series ends in 2023, so the chart stops there. The 2024 growth rate is our calculation. SLTDA's monthly report does not give a cause for the May 2019 fall; the date of the attacks is context.

Where do Sri Lanka's tourists come from?

India sends more than twice as many tourists as any other country. The UK, Russia and Germany follow, and Europe and Asia each supply a little under half of all arrivals.

1. 1 India 531,511
2. 2 United Kingdom 212,277
3. 3 Russia 186,580
4. 4 Germany 147,966
5. 5 China 132,035
6. 6 Australia 109,487
7. 7 France 109,041
8. 8 United States 65,973
9. 9 Netherlands 64,164
10. 10 Bangladesh 59,563

• Indian arrivals grew 27.5% in 2025, from 416,974 in 2024. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• The UK was second with 212,277 arrivals, up 19.0% on 2024 but 16.5% below the 254,176 of 2018. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• Russia was third with 186,580, down 7.6% from 201,920 in 2024, when it was second. Its count has nearly tripled since 2018, when it was 64,497. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• Germany sent 147,966 tourists and China 132,035. China was the second-largest market in 2018, with 265,965, so its 2025 count was 50.4% lower. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• Australia (109,487), France (109,041), the US (65,973), the Netherlands (64,164) and Bangladesh (59,563) completed the top 10. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• Bangladeshi arrivals rose 468% from 10,487 in 2018, and Polish arrivals rose from 20,378 to 49,989. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• Europe sent 1,152,955 tourists in 2025, 48.8% of the total, and Asia and the Pacific 1,039,759, or 44.0%. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• The Americas sent 119,830 tourists (5.1%), the Middle East 32,338 (1.4%) and Africa 17,639 (0.7%). (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)

Markets are by country of residence. The percentage changes are SLTDA's; the Indian share is our calculation. Regional totals add up to the national total.

Are tourist numbers to Sri Lanka falling in 2026, and what is the target?

Slightly. Arrivals grew in January and February 2026, fell sharply in March and April and have stayed close to 2025 levels since. India keeps growing while Russia and several European markets have fallen, and SLTDA has cut its forecast for the year.

View data table

Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka by month in 2026, January to October. Figures are provisional.

Period	Value
Jan	277,327
Feb	279,328
Mar	183,979
Apr	135,643
May	145,745
Jun	124,551
Jul	196,845
Aug	191,704
Sep	158,557
Oct	168,625

• Arrivals in January to September 2026 were 1,693,679, down 1.8% on 1,725,494 a year earlier. (SLTDA (monthly arrivals), Oct 2026)
• February 2026 was the busiest month, with 279,328 arrivals, up 16.2%. Arrivals fell 19.8% year on year in March and 22.3% in April. (SLTDA (monthly arrivals), Oct 2026)
• Later months were close to 2025: May was up 9.6%, June down 9.9%, July down 1.7%, August down 3.3% and September down 0.3%. (SLTDA (monthly arrivals), Oct 2026)
• SLTDA says about 33% of international tourists reach Sri Lanka through Middle East transit hubs, and links the March and April falls to the conflict in the Middle East. (SLTDA (growth scenarios), Aug 2026)
• Indian arrivals rose 16.6% to 437,414 in January to September 2026. Russian arrivals fell 32.1% to 82,991, which SLTDA says was likely due to geopolitical tensions, reduced air connectivity and other factors. (SLTDA (monthly arrivals), Oct 2026)
• Over the same months the UK sent 160,727 tourists (down 0.7%), China 112,550 (up 10.8%), Germany 97,278 (down 9.1%), Australia 86,989 (up 12.4%) and France 78,860 (down 10.5%). Dutch arrivals fell 20.8%. (SLTDA (monthly arrivals), Oct 2026)
• In September 2026, Asia and the Pacific supplied 63.6% of arrivals and Europe 29.7%. India alone supplied 32.8%. (SLTDA (monthly arrivals), Oct 2026)
• India supplied 499,625 of the arrivals in January to October 2026, 26.8%. October arrivals were 168,625, 2.1% above October 2025 on our calculation. (SLTDA (arrivals by country), Nov 2026)
• Provisional weekly figures put arrivals at 1,890,937 by 5 November 2026. (SLTDA (weekly arrivals), Nov 2026)
• In February 2026, SLTDA's scenarios had put 2026 arrivals at 2,546,644 (lower), 2,700,000 (conservative) or 3,000,000 (optimistic). (SLTDA (growth scenarios), Feb 2026)
• SLTDA's conservative scenario for 2026 in the August revision is 2,500,220 arrivals. (SLTDA (growth scenarios), Aug 2026)
• The 2026 Budget speech, delivered on 7 November 2025, allocated Rs 3,500 million from SLTDA for a nature and heritage destination development project. (Ministry of Finance (Budget 2026), Nov 2025)

Figures for 2026 are provisional and may be revised. The reasons quoted are SLTDA's own statements; its monthly report gives no cause for the March and April falls. Middle East transit means travellers flying through Gulf hubs, not visitors from the region. Scenarios are forecasts and the 2030 goal is a government target, not an official count. The Indian share for January to October and the October comparison are our calculations.

Why do tourists visit Sri Lanka, and who are they?

Most come on holiday, but one in twelve comes to see friends or family, a share that is far higher among visitors from Canada and Australia. Most travel independently, not on a package.

• Holiday 1,389,280
• Other or not stated 523,482
• Friends and relatives 198,862
• Meetings and events 162,046
• Business 53,627
• Health, religion, sport, study, official (added together) 35,224

• 1,389,280 tourists came on holiday in 2025, 58.8% of the total. 198,862 (8.4%) came to visit friends and relatives, 162,046 (6.9%) for meetings, conferences and events, and 53,627 (2.3%) on business. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• Health and Ayurveda trips accounted for 12,977 arrivals, about 0.5%. A further 523,482 (22.2%) gave another reason or none. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• Visiting friends and relatives was the reason for 54% of Canadian arrivals (24,719), 28% of Australian arrivals (30,716) and 21% of British arrivals (45,150). (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• Visitors aged 60 and over made up 17.5% of arrivals in 2025 (413,236), up from 15% in 2018. People aged 30 to 39 were the largest group, at 22.1%. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• 51% of 2025 arrivals were men (1,212,691) and 49% women (1,149,830). (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• In SLTDA's survey of departing tourists, 62.4% had travelled independently and 37.6% on a package. (SLTDA (departing tourist survey), Sep 2026)
• 86.8% rated their trip excellent (44.84%) or good (42.00%), and 2.5% poor or very poor. (SLTDA (departing tourist survey), Sep 2026)

Purpose of visit is recorded at entry; with more than a fifth not stated, the split is a guide only. Shares by market are our calculations from SLTDA's table, and the chart groups the five smallest purposes. Survey figures come from 11,731 departing tourists interviewed between July 2024 and June 2025, not from all arrivals, and the report does not say they are weighted.

How long do tourists stay in Sri Lanka?

About eight days, shorter than before the pandemic. Europeans stay longest, and visitors from India, the largest market, stay about five days.

1. 1 Europe 10.32
2. 2 Americas 8.03
3. 3 Africa 7.47
4. 4 Middle East 7.24
5. 5 Asia 6.36

• SLTDA's annual table puts the average stay in 2025 at 8.1 days. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• Health and Ayurveda visitors stayed longest, 14.7 days on average, against 11.0 days for those visiting friends and relatives, 8.7 for holidaymakers, 7.6 for meetings and events and 5.2 for business travellers. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• Monthly averages in 2025 ranged from 12.0 to 14.1 days for Dutch visitors, 11.2 to 13.0 for Germans and 4.3 to 5.5 for Indians. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• In 2024 the average stay was 8.42 nights. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2024), Apr 2026)
• The average stay was 10.0 nights in 2010, 10.8 in 2018 and 8.4 in 2023. It peaked at 15.1 nights in 2021, when few tourists came. (SLTDA (growth trends), Jul 2024)
• Tourists spent 12.553 million nights in Sri Lanka in 2023, against 25.205 million in 2018. (SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2023), Oct 2024)

Average stay is SLTDA's estimate. Its 2025 report gives two values, a provisional headline figure and the annual table; we use the table. SLTDA uses days and nights loosely. Tourist nights are arrivals multiplied by average stay, across all places to stay including private homes, so they are not hotel nights. SLTDA revised its stay estimates in 2025, so years are not strictly comparable.

How much do tourists spend in Sri Lanka?

Tourism earnings recovered in 2025 but stayed below the 2018 peak. The estimate rests on a daily spending figure that SLTDA lowered in August 2025, so recent years are hard to compare.

View data table

SLTDA's tourism receipts, 2010 to 2023, in US$ billion.

Period	Value
2010	0.58bn
2011	0.84bn
2012	1.04bn
2013	1.72bn
2014	2.43bn
2015	2.98bn
2016	3.52bn
2017	3.92bn
2018	4.38bn
2019	3.61bn
2020	0.68bn
2021	0.51bn
2022	1.14bn
2023	2.07bn

• The Central Bank (CBSL) records tourism earnings of US$3,219.2 million in 2025, 1.6% more than the US$3,168.6 million of 2024. Its estimate is built from SLTDA's arrivals, stay and daily spending figures. (CBSL (external sector release), Jan 2026)
• CBSL says earnings stayed below the 2018 level in 2025, though arrivals passed it, because SLTDA revised down its estimates of daily spending and length of stay. (CBSL (external sector release), Jan 2026)
• December 2025 earnings were US$308.6 million, 14.8% less than a year earlier, after the daily spending figure was revised from August. (CBSL (external sector release), Jan 2026)
• CBSL puts earnings in January to September 2026 at US$2,245.2 million, 9.2% lower than a year earlier. SLTDA changed its monthly method in May 2026, so the two years are not strictly like for like. (CBSL (external sector release), Oct 2026)
• SLTDA used a daily spend of US$171.74 per tourist for January to July 2025 and US$148.26 from August, when it moved to its new survey. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• For 2024, SLTDA put spending at US$181.15 per tourist per day. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2024), Apr 2026)
• In SLTDA's survey, independent tourists from the UAE spent the most a day, US$195.23, excluding airfare. Americans spent US$165.99, Russians US$163.84, Britons US$154.82, Indians US$154.60 and Germans US$142.27. (SLTDA (departing tourist survey), Sep 2026)
• In 2018 SLTDA put tourism receipts at US$4,380.6 million, with spending of US$173.8 per tourist per day. (SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2018), 2018)

SLTDA and CBSL publish separate earnings figures, but CBSL's estimate uses SLTDA's inputs, so they are not independent and are not charted together. Both multiply arrivals by average stay and average daily spending, so they are estimates, not a count of spending. The daily spending figure changed in August 2025 and the monthly method in May 2026; we make no growth claims across those changes beyond what the producers state. Survey spending covers tourists not on a package. The chart uses SLTDA's long-run series, in which 2018 and some later years are provisional.

What is tourism worth to Sri Lanka's economy?

Tourism is one of Sri Lanka's largest sources of foreign currency, though smaller than the money sent home by workers abroad. Its share of foreign exchange earnings is still well below 2018.

1. 1 Workers' remittances 25.1%
2. 2 Textiles and garments 20.5%
3. 3 Tourism 8.7%

• Tourism earnings were about 46% of services export receipts in 2025 (US$7,065.7 million) and about 16% of all exports of goods and services (US$20.6 billion), on our calculation. (CBSL (external sector release), Jan 2026)
• Workers' remittances were larger, at more than US$8.0 billion in 2025. (CBSL (external sector release), Jan 2026)
• Accommodation and food services produced Rs 807,356 million of value added in 2025, 2.47% of GDP on our calculation, and grew 12.4% in real terms. (CBSL (Annual Economic Review), Apr 2026)
• Tourism was the third-largest foreign exchange earner in 2023, with Rs 678,510 million and 8.7% of the total, up from fifth place and 5.2% in 2022. (SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2023), Oct 2024)
• SLTDA put tourism's direct contribution to GDP at 2.5% in 2023, against 4.9% in 2018. (SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2023), Oct 2024)
• In 2018 tourism was also third, with 15.9% of foreign exchange earnings, behind workers' remittances and textiles and garments. (SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2018), 2018)
• In 2020 its share fell to 3.3%, seventh place, from 13.7% in 2019. (SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2020), Apr 2022)

Accommodation and food services is a proxy: it includes restaurants serving residents and leaves out tourist spending on transport and shopping, so it is not a tourism satellite account. SLTDA does not explain how it estimates the direct contribution to GDP, and its 2018 figure is provisional. The export shares and the GDP share are our calculations. SLTDA has not published a foreign exchange ranking for 2024 or 2025.

How many people work in Sri Lanka tourism?

Tourism employs more people than before the pandemic, on SLTDA's 2023 estimate, the latest available. Four in five direct jobs are in hotels and restaurants.

1. 1 Hotels and restaurants 165,582
2. 2 Travel agents and tour operators 15,102
3. 3 Airlines 8,650
4. 4 Tourist guides 7,385
5. 5 State sector 3,452

• 204,591 of the jobs in 2023 were direct and 225,050 indirect. (SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2023), Oct 2024)
• Hotels and restaurants employed 165,582 people, 80.9% of direct jobs. Travel agents and tour operators had 7.4%, airlines 4.2% and tourist guides 3.6%. (SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2023), Oct 2024)
• Direct jobs numbered 175,990 in 2020, 177,476 in 2021 and 190,521 in 2022. (SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2023), Oct 2024)
• In 2018 there were 169,003 direct and 388,487 total tourism jobs. (SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2018), 2018)

Jobs figures are for 2023; SLTDA's 2024 and 2025 reports carry no employment data. Direct jobs come from a survey of 6,569 SLTDA-registered businesses, so informal and unregistered work is largely missed, and indirect jobs are an SLTDA estimate. The 2021 to 2023 figures are provisional. The number of registered businesses has grown, so part of the rise since 2018 comes from wider coverage.

Where do tourists stay in Sri Lanka?

Guest houses, not big hotels, hold the largest share of rooms. Most rooms are on the west and south coasts, around Colombo and Galle.

1. 1 Colombo 11,398
2. 2 Galle 10,021
3. 3 Gampaha 4,865
4. 4 Kandy 4,657
5. 5 Kalutara 4,170
6. 6 Matara 3,081
7. 7 Nuwara Eliya 2,699
8. 8 Hambantota 2,620
9. 9 Matale 2,561
10. 10 Badulla 2,208

• There were 4,927 registered places to stay at the end of 2025. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, accommodation), Apr 2026)
• Guest houses were the largest category, with 1,862 establishments and 21,463 rooms, over a third of the total. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, accommodation), Apr 2026)
• Unclassified tourist hotels had 8,510 rooms in 211 hotels, bungalows 5,432 rooms in 1,268 units and home stays 3,416 rooms in 1,160 units. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, accommodation), Apr 2026)
• 170 star-rated hotels had 18,308 rooms. 33 of them were five-star, with 7,733 rooms, and SLTDA says part of the recent growth comes from hotels being upgraded. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, accommodation), Apr 2026)
• Four-star hotels had 3,835 rooms, three-star 2,815, two-star 2,123 and one-star 1,802. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, accommodation), Apr 2026)
• Western Province had 20,433 rooms (34%) and Southern Province 15,722 (26%). Central Province, which includes Kandy, had 9,917 and Northern Province 1,169 (2.0%). (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, accommodation), Apr 2026)
• Colombo district had 11,398 rooms and Galle district 10,021, together 36% of the national total. Jaffna district had 757. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, accommodation), Apr 2026)
• Graded hotels, a narrower group, had 26,422 rooms and 54,576 beds in 2023. (SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2023), Oct 2024)

Counts are SLTDA-registered establishments at the end of 2025, including guest houses, home stays and bungalows; unregistered rentals are not included. SLTDA's 2025 report gives two different 2024 room totals, so no 2024 figure or growth rate is shown. Graded hotels are given for 2023 only, from a different report. The district share is SLTDA's; the province shares are our calculations.

How full are Sri Lanka's hotels?

Graded hotels were well under half full on average in 2024, the latest year with figures. Colombo hotels did best, and the south and east coasts fill at opposite times of year.

1. 1 Colombo 53.0%
2. 2 Gampaha 52.5%
3. 3 Hambantota 51.8%
4. 4 Kalutara 50.5%
5. 5 Kandy 48.9%
6. 6 Matara 46.9%
7. 7 Nuwara Eliya 46.9%
8. 8 Galle 44.7%
9. 9 Matale 37.2%
10. 10 Anuradhapura 27.6%

• Monthly occupancy ranged from 49.6% in August 2024 to 31.2% in June. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2024), Apr 2026)
• Hotels in Colombo district averaged 53.0%, Gampaha (Negombo) 52.5%, Hambantota 51.8% and Kalutara 50.5%. Anuradhapura was lowest, at 27.6%. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2024), Apr 2026)
• Galle district hotels were 68.7% full in January 2024 and 24.5% in June. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2024), Apr 2026)
• East coast hotels peak in the middle of the year: Trincomalee reached 72.2% in August and fell to 21.5% in December, and Batticaloa reached 89.3% in August against 27.8% in November. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2024), Apr 2026)
• On SLTDA's earlier series, graded hotel occupancy was 72.77% in 2018, 57.09% in 2019, 14.96% in 2020, 18.6% in 2021, 30.4% in 2022 and 39.0% in 2023. (SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2023), Oct 2024)

The 2024 figures are room occupancy of graded hotels that answered SLTDA's survey, not all places to stay. Some districts have few respondents, for example 3 hotels in Trincomalee and 7 in Batticaloa, so those districts are left out of the chart. The annual figure is weighted, so it is not the average of the months. SLTDA's 2025 report has no occupancy table. The 2018 to 2023 series comes from a different collection and is not compared with 2024.

What are the most-visited heritage sites in Sri Lanka?

Sigiriya is by far the most-visited ticketed heritage site, and foreign tourists pay almost all of the ticket income at Central Cultural Fund sites. Two of the best-known sights, the Dambulla cave temple and the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, publish no official counts.

1. 1 Sigiriya 1,086,918
2. 2 Polonnaruwa 272,852
3. 3 Jaffna Fort 249,913
4. 4 Jetavanaramaya 95,044
5. 5 Galle Museum 53,557

• 582,687 of Sigiriya's visitors in 2025 were foreign and 504,231 Sri Lankan. The foreign count equals about a quarter of all tourist arrivals, on our calculation. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, attractions), Apr 2026)
• Sigiriya took Rs 3.73 billion in ticket income in 2025, 68% of all Central Cultural Fund site income, and foreign visitors paid 98.7% of it, on our calculation. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, attractions), Apr 2026)
• Sigiriya had 900,187 visitors in 2023, of whom 272,475 were foreign, so foreign visits more than doubled by 2025. (SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2023), Oct 2024)
• The Central Cultural Fund's sites recorded 1,974,888 visitors in 2025: 956,961 foreign and 1,017,927 local. Foreign visitors paid 98% of site income, Rs 5.40 billion of Rs 5.48 billion. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, attractions), Apr 2026)
• In 2024, 868,831 foreign tourists visited Central Cultural Fund sites, which SLTDA put at about 42% of all tourist arrivals. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2024), Apr 2026)
• Foreign visits to Cultural Triangle sites were 979,171 in 2018, 730,854 in 2019, 185,350 in 2020, 33,390 in 2021 and 477,978 in 2023. (SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2023), Oct 2024)
• Polonnaruwa's ancient city had 272,852 visitors in 2025, 184,661 of them foreign, and took Rs 1.19 billion, the second-highest income. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, attractions), Apr 2026)
• Jaffna Fort had 249,913 visitors, 94% of them Sri Lankan. The Galle Museum, in Galle Fort, had 53,557. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, attractions), Apr 2026)
• At Anuradhapura, the Jetavanaramaya site recorded 95,044 visitors, 81,674 of them foreign. Temples run by religious bodies are not counted, so this is not a total for the city. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, attractions), Apr 2026)
• At Dambulla, the Central Cultural Fund counts only the small Dambulla Museum, with 1,206 visitors in 2025, not the cave temple. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, attractions), Apr 2026)

Counts are ticketed entries at sites run by the Central Cultural Fund, republished by SLTDA. Sites run by temples and religious bodies, including the Dambulla cave temple and the Temple of the Tooth, are not in these tables. The list of sites changes between years, and the older "Cultural Triangle" series may cover fewer sites than the newer totals. Shares are our calculations unless stated.

Which national parks and wildlife sites get the most visitors?

Yala is the busiest national park by far, and most of its visitors are foreign. Horton Plains, in the hills, draws mainly Sri Lankans, and foreign tickets bring in almost all park income.

1. 1 Yala 772,764
2. 2 Horton Plains 387,083
3. 3 Udawalawe 368,871
4. 4 Wilpattu 164,925
5. 5 Minneriya 155,146
6. 6 Mirissa (whale watching) 140,537
7. 7 Kaudulla 81,112

• 426,535 of Yala's visits in 2025 were by foreigners and 346,229 by Sri Lankans. The park took Rs 2.76 billion in fees. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, attractions), Apr 2026)
• Udawalawe had 368,871 visitors (197,981 foreign) and took Rs 1.50 billion, the second-highest park income. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, attractions), Apr 2026)
• Horton Plains had 387,083 visitors, 87% of them Sri Lankan, the most domestic visits of any park. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, attractions), Apr 2026)
• Wilpattu had 164,925 visitors (76,389 foreign), Minneriya 155,146 and neighbouring Kaudulla 81,112. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, attractions), Apr 2026)
• Department of Wildlife Conservation parks and sites recorded 2,604,243 visits in 2025, 1,141,134 of them foreign, and Rs 6.66 billion in income. Foreign tickets brought in 94.7%, on our calculation. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, attractions), Apr 2026)
• In 2023 the same parks and sites had 1,589,515 visits, 583,703 of them foreign. Yala had 466,437 visitors and Udawalawe 188,388. (SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2023), Oct 2024)
• Whale and dolphin watching trips from Mirissa carried 140,537 visitors in 2025, 107,324 of them foreign. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, attractions), Apr 2026)
• Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage had 635,018 visitors, 2.3% fewer than in 2024, but foreign visits rose 13.6% to 196,381. Dehiwala Zoo, in Colombo, had 974,557 visitors, only 12,257 of them foreign. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, attractions), Apr 2026)
• The Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya, near Kandy, had 334,823 foreign and 781,038 local visitors, 92.6% of all foreign visits to the national botanic gardens. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, attractions), Apr 2026)

Park counts are ticketed entries from the Department of Wildlife Conservation, republished by SLTDA, so a visitor on two safaris counts twice. Zoo and orphanage figures are from the Department of National Zoological Gardens. The botanic gardens table does not name its source. Shares are our calculations unless stated.

How do tourists get to Sri Lanka?

Almost every tourist flies in through Bandaranaike International Airport near Colombo, which now handles more passengers than its terminal was designed for. Very few arrive by sea.

View data table

International passenger movements at Sri Lanka's airports, 2019 to 2025, in millions.

Period	Value
2019	9.96m
2020	2.38m
2021	1.51m
2022	5.50m
2023	7.55m
2024	8.88m
2025	10.20m

• Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) handled 95.2% of tourist arrivals in 2025. Mattala, near Hambantota, handled 70,752 (3.0%) and Jaffna 11,065 (0.5%). (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, ports), Apr 2026)
• Tourists arriving by sea came through the Port of Colombo (13,762) and Hambantota (9,475), 23,237 in all on our sum. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025, ports), Apr 2026)
• International passenger movements in 2025 were 5,077,568 arrivals and 5,124,541 departures, including transfer and transit passengers. (AASL (annual report), 2026)
• The airports handled 9,958,688 international passengers in 2019, 2,375,056 in 2020 and 1,505,479 in 2021, the low point. (AASL (annual report), 2026)
• There were 64,340 international flight movements in 2025, up 14%, by 46 airlines serving 72 destinations in 34 countries. (AASL (annual report), 2026)
• AASL says BIA handled passenger volumes far above Terminal 1's design capacity of 6 million a year. (AASL (annual report), 2026)
• Mattala had 140,614 international passengers and 703 international flights, its most since opening in 2013. Jaffna had 53,443 passengers and 1,138 international aircraft movements, its best year since opening in 2019. (AASL (annual report), 2026)
• Same-day visitors, almost all cruise passengers, numbered 100,431 in 2023, against 186,862 in 2018 and 195,143 in 2015. (SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2023), Oct 2024)

SLTDA's port figures count tourists by where they entered. AASL's figures count passenger movements at all its international airports, arrivals and departures, residents included, so they are not tourist counts; domestic passengers are left out. Terminal capacity and the projection are as AASL states them. No official count of cruise ship calls was found, and the same-day visitor series ends in 2023.

When is the best time to visit Sri Lanka?

December to March is the busiest time, when the southwest coast is driest. May and June are the quietest months, and July and August bring a smaller second peak, when the east coast has its dry season.

View data table

Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka by month, 2025.

Period	Value
Jan	252,761
Feb	240,217
Mar	229,298
Apr	174,608
May	132,919
Jun	138,241
Jul	200,244
Aug	198,235
Sep	158,971
Oct	165,193
Nov	212,906
Dec	258,928

• December 2025 was the busiest month, with 258,928 arrivals, ahead of January (252,761) and February (240,217). May was the quietest, with 132,919, then June (138,241). (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• January to March and December brought 41.5% of 2025 arrivals, on our calculation. December grew only 4.2%, which SLTDA said was possibly due to Cyclone Ditwah. (SLTDA (Year in Review 2025), Apr 2026)
• Russian arrivals swing with the seasons, from 34,096 in January 2025 to 1,891 in June. Indian arrivals ran all year, from 35,728 in February to 56,715 in December. (SLTDA (arrivals by country), Jan 2026)
• Colombo averages 27.4°C, from 26.6°C in January and December to 28.3°C in May. (DCS (Statistical Abstract), 2022)
• Colombo gets 2,423.8 mm of rain a year. May (392.4 mm) and October (365.4 mm) are wettest and January (58.2 mm) driest. (DCS (Statistical Abstract), 2022)
• Trincomalee, on the east coast, gets 1,580.2 mm. June is driest (25.4 mm), and November (342.9 mm) and December (364.5 mm) are wettest. (DCS (Statistical Abstract), 2022)
• Kandy averages 24.6°C and Nuwara Eliya 15.9°C, more than 11°C cooler than Colombo. Trincomalee averages 28.5°C, with 30.5°C in May and June. (DCS (Statistical Abstract), 2022)
• Kandy gets 1,840.2 mm of rain, most in November (295.6 mm) and least in March (71.9 mm). Nuwara Eliya gets 1,905.3 mm and is driest in March (71.5 mm). (DCS (Statistical Abstract), 2022)

Climate figures are 1961-1990 averages from the Department of Meteorology, published by the Department of Census and Statistics; recent years have run warmer. Colombo stands in for the southwest coast, including Galle, which has no long-term average in these tables. Kandy's station is Katugastota, just north of the town. Monthly arrivals are SLTDA's, by country of residence; the seasonal share is our calculation.

What do police figures show about safety in Sri Lanka?

Official crime and road figures cover the whole island and all victims; none are published for tourists. Road deaths have stayed between about 2,300 and 2,600 a year since 2020.

View data table

Road deaths in Sri Lanka, 2020 to 2024.

Period	Value
2020	2,363
2021	2,557
2022	2,540
2023	2,321
2024	2,368

• Sri Lanka Police recorded 44,969 grave crimes island-wide in 2023, including 573 murders and 12,138 house breakings. (Sri Lanka Police (crime abstract), Mar 2026)
• Grave crimes include drug trafficking offences, which made up 7,685 of the 2023 cases. (Sri Lanka Police (crime abstract), Mar 2026)
• 2,368 people died on the roads in 2024, in 2,262 fatal crashes, out of 24,589 recorded road accidents. (Sri Lanka Police (road accidents), Feb 2026)
• Sri Lanka had 8,421,126 registered vehicles by August 2024, including 4,892,315 motorcycles and 1,184,466 three-wheelers. (Sri Lanka Police (road accidents), Feb 2026)

Crime figures are for 2023, the latest posted by the police, and count all recorded cases across the island. "Grave crime" is a Sri Lankan legal category. Road figures cover all road users; the table headings are in Sinhala and the translation is ours.

Methodology and sources

Figures come from official producers in Sri Lanka. Arrivals, markets, stay, accommodation, occupancy, jobs and attraction figures are SLTDA's, each citation labelled by report; attraction and park counts come from the Central Cultural Fund and the Department of Wildlife Conservation, republished by SLTDA. Tourism earnings come from both SLTDA and CBSL, but CBSL builds its figure from SLTDA's inputs, so they are not independent: each is labelled and they are not charted together. Where a method changed, such as daily spending in August 2025 and the monthly method in May 2026, the note says so and we make no growth claims across the change beyond what the producer states. GDP figures come from CBSL, airport figures from AASL, climate from the Department of Meteorology through the Department of Census and Statistics, and crime and road figures from Sri Lanka Police. Targets and forecasts are labelled as such. Where we calculated a figure, such as a share or a sum, the note says so. The page is reviewed monthly and the date is shown at the top.

• AASL (annual report) · 2026
• CBSL (Annual Economic Review) · Apr 2026
• CBSL (external sector release) · Jan 2026
• CBSL (external sector release) · Oct 2026
• DCS (Statistical Abstract) · 2022
• DCS (Statistical Abstract) · 2022
• Ministry of Finance (Budget 2026) · Nov 2025
• SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2018) · 2018
• SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2020) · Apr 2022
• SLTDA (Annual Statistical Report 2023) · Oct 2024
• SLTDA (arrivals by country) · Nov 2026
• SLTDA (arrivals by country) · Jan 2026
• SLTDA (departing tourist survey) · Sep 2026
• SLTDA (growth scenarios) · Aug 2026
• SLTDA (growth scenarios) · Feb 2026
• SLTDA (growth trends) · Jul 2024
• SLTDA (monthly arrivals) · Jan 2020
• SLTDA (monthly arrivals) · Jul 2019
• SLTDA (monthly arrivals) · Oct 2026
• SLTDA (weekly arrivals) · Nov 2026
• SLTDA (Year in Review 2022) · Mar 2023
• SLTDA (Year in Review 2024) · Apr 2026
• SLTDA (Year in Review 2025) · Apr 2026
• Sri Lanka Police (crime abstract) · Mar 2026
• Sri Lanka Police (road accidents) · Feb 2026