Arrivals cross 40,000 mark in first four days of February

Sri Lanka’s tourism industry maintained its robust momentum into the second month of the year, recording over 40,000 arrivals within the first four days of February.

According to the latest provisional data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, the island nation welcomed 40,054 visitors between February 1 and February 4, 2026. This performance signals that the winter peak season demand is holding firm, following a strong January where arrivals reached 277,327, a 9.7 percent increase compared to the same month last year.

The daily arrival average for the period hovered around the 10,000 mark, with a notable spike on February 2, which recorded 11,817 visitors—the highest single-day influx for the month so far. This represents a significant improvement over the previous year, where the same day in 2025 saw 9,096 arrivals. The trend remained consistent throughout the four days, with February 4 recording 8,835 visitors compared to 7,897 in 2025, suggesting that destination interest remains high despite the conclusion of the primary January holiday window.

In terms of source markets, India and the United Kingdom are in a tight race for the top spot. For the first four days of February, India took the lead with 5,287 arrivals, accounting for 13 percent of the total traffic. The United Kingdom followed closely with 5,184 visitors, also capturing a 13 percent market share. The Russian Federation maintained its position as the third-largest source market with 3,817 arrivals, representing a 9 percent share, while Germany and Poland rounded out the top five with 2,496 and 2,364 visitors respectively.

On a cumulative basis, Sri Lanka has welcomed 317,381 tourists from January 1 to February 4, 2026. The year-to-date market leadership mirrors the monthly trends, with India generating 57,348 total visitors, followed by the United Kingdom with 34,724 and the Russian Federation with 30,951.