Indian dominance highlights early May tourist arrivals as focus shifts to Asia

Sri Lanka welcomed 28,578 tourists during the first six days of May 2026, with India leading the arrivals as the local tourism sector shifts its focus toward Asian markets to offset disruptions in European travel. 

The daily average for the period stood at 4,763 visitors, reflecting a marginal year-on-year decline. For the same six-day period in May 2025, arrivals totaled 29,016, recording a slight contraction of 1.5 percent. 

However, on a month-on-month basis, the daily arrival average in early May saw a 5.3 percent increase compared to the daily average of 4,521 recorded throughout April 2026, which logged a total of 135,643 visitors.

The cumulative arrivals for the year up to May 6, 2026, reached 904,855. When compared to the same period in 2025, which recorded approximately 925,900 arrivals, the year-to-date figure shows a 2.2 percent decline.

 This dip highlights the impact of external factors on the local tourism sector, particularly the ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. 

The conflict has disrupted flight schedules, causing a drop in European tourists who rely on major transit hubs in the region. Although these flights have resumed, operations are yet to return to full scale. In response, Sri Lanka Tourism is focusing its promotional campaigns on the Asian region to capture demand from neighboring markets. 

This shift is evident in the latest arrival figures. India contributed the highest number of visitors during the first six days of May with 10,878 tourists, accounting for 38 percent of the total market share. When compared to the daily average of Indian arrivals recorded throughout May 2025, this reflects an estimated year-on-year growth of 19.6 percent.

China emerged as the second-largest source market with 2,255 arrivals and an 8 percent market share, recording an estimated 32.3 percent growth against its May 2025 daily average. Meanwhile, traditional European markets showed the impact of recent aviation disruptions. The United Kingdom ranked third with 1,492 arrivals and a 5 percent share, marking an estimated 16.4 percent decline compared to its daily average in May 2025. 

Australia followed with 1,415 tourists, while the United States brought in 1,194 visitors. France and the Russian Federation contributed 1,132 and 1,108 tourists respectively, highlighting the reduced connectivity from the West. Japan with 1,027 arrivals, Germany with 967, and Bangladesh with 803 rounded out the top ten source markets for the period. 

(NF)