Sri Lanka tourism records 2% YoY growth in early December despite sharp monthly dip

Sri Lanka’s tourism industry recorded 70,023 international arrivals during the first 11 days of December 2025, marking a 2.0 percent year-on-year growth, compared to the 68,648 visitors recorded during the same period in 2024.

However, the sector’s recovery momentum has notably decelerated in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, with the arrivals contracting by 8.2 percent month-on-month when compared to the 76,284 tourists welcomed in the first 11 days of November 2025.

The slowing momentum has placed the country’s ambitious annual arrival targets largely out of reach. As of December 11, the cumulative arrivals for the year stood at 2,173,616. This figure leaves a significant deficit of approximately 502,980 arrivals required to meet even the conservative target of 2.67 million set for 2025. To bridge this gap within the remaining 20 days of the year, the industry would need to maintain a daily arrival average of over 25,000 visitors, a figure that is starkly disproportionate to the current daily average of 6,366.

Despite the challenging conditions, India continues to anchor Sri Lanka’s tourism recovery. During the first 11 days of December, India remained the single largest source market, contributing 15,152 arrivals, which accounted for 22 percent of total traffic. The Russian Federation followed as the second largest contributor, with 8,033 visitors, representing an 11 percent share, while Germany and the United Kingdom rounded out the top markets, with 5,753 and 5,216 arrivals, respectively.

On a year-to-date basis, the market hierarchy remains consistent with India maintaining a dominant lead. By mid-December, India had generated a total of 489,948 visitors. The United Kingdom held the second position, with 196,958 cumulative arrivals, followed closely by the Russian Federation, with 166,626 visitors. Germany and China also solidified their positions in the top five, contributing 137,012 and 125,720 arrivals, respectively for the year thus far.  (NF)