Government aiming at three million tourist arrivals in 2026: PM

3 February 2026 02:02 pm Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 8 Bookmark

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By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera

Colombo, Feb. 3 (Daily Mirror) - Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya said today that the government is aiming at three million tourist arrivals in 2026.

She told Parliament that Sri Lanka recorded the highest ever tourist arrivals of 2,362,521 in 2025, surpassing the record of 2,333,796 in 2018.

Responding to a question raised by MP Thilna Samaraweera, she said Sri Lanka recorded a USD 3.2 billion revenue from tourism in 2025.

Comments - 8

Frequent traveller Tuesday, 03 February 2026 05:51 PM

Convert Palali airport into BIA level. Sri Lanka will get additional three million more tourist.

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Highly unlikely prospect Wednesday, 04 February 2026 12:49 AM

Doubt that! Start by getting the residents to learn another language other than their mother tongue or do they expect tourists to learn theirs?

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Dr knowitall Tuesday, 03 February 2026 05:52 PM

Tourists arrive but where is the Dollars ,are we feeding them free 1$ =325 Rupees

3 1

blue moon Tuesday, 03 February 2026 06:40 PM

last time when i visited Sri Lanka as a tourist the immigration officer was asking me " why are you coming here ? " instead of asking me "what is the purpose of your visit ? " it sounded rude to me. i think immigration officers should be trained more to handle tourists

3 5

Navi Wednesday, 04 February 2026 12:03 AM

Numbers does not reflect $$$ Stupid fools attempting to hoodwink the masses with numbers. Can increase the numbers with Indians fleeing NIMPHA?

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Chanaka J Wednesday, 04 February 2026 02:06 AM

Clearly, you have not travelled widely! Otherwise, you will realise that immigration officers in many countries, not just Sri Lanka, will miss the subtleties of the English language, and what you perceive as “ rude” is what I would call “ clumsy”! Moreover, those of us who are seasoned travellers recognise the difference between genuine rudeness and someone speaking a foreign language. Tone and body language are dead giveaways. Yes, English is a foreign language here. We are no longer a British colony!

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Curious Wednesday, 04 February 2026 02:08 AM

Reply to blue moon- Do you want a red carpet and garlands too?

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Jeeves Wednesday, 04 February 2026 04:15 AM

What’s the point of having 3 million tourists when significant amounts of money related to their expenditure goes straight to foreign hands, foreign accounts and not to our failing economy?

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