Sri Lanka’s tourism industry recorded its highest-ever September arrivals this year, fuelled largely by visitors from India, giving the sector a timely boost ahead of the crucial winter season. The strong performance has revived optimism, though concerns remain about falling short of the Government’s ambitious 2025 targets.
According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), 158,971 tourists visited the island in September 2025 a 30.2% year-on-year increase and a new record for the month, surpassing the previous high of 149,087 in 2018. The surge was driven by a steady rise in Indian travellers, whose numbers grew 7% month-on-month, reaffirming India’s position as Sri Lanka’s largest source market.
On average, the country welcomed 5,299 tourists per day, reflecting a 30.13% jump compared to last year. India accounted for 49,697 visitors or 31.3% of total arrivals, followed by the United Kingdom (6.8%), China (6.6%), Germany (5.9%), and Australia (5.7%). Other key contributors included France, Bangladesh, Spain, the Netherlands, and Japan, underscoring the growing diversity of Sri Lanka’s visitor base.
The strong September turnout pushed total tourist arrivals for the first nine months of 2025 to over 1.72 million, representing a 16.2% increase compared to the same period in 2024. However, the figure remains marginally below the pre-crisis benchmark year of 2018, when arrivals by end-September had already reached 1.73 million. India continued to dominate the top source markets with 375,292 visitors, followed by the UK, Russia, Germany, and China.
Industry analysts attributed the record arrivals to heightened global attention following multiple international accolades. Sri Lanka was recently named the No. 1 Most Beautiful Island in the World by Big 7 Travel, ranked ninth on BBC Travel’s list of 25 Best Places to Visit in 2025, and declared the top destination for October 2025 by Time Out magazine. These recognitions, combined with rising interest in meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) tourism, have helped restore confidence in the industry.
Despite the positive trajectory, September arrivals fell short of SLTDA’s forecast of 185,000 by around 26,000 visitors, a 16.4% gap. For the January–September period, the target had been 2.19 million visitors, meaning actual numbers were 27.4% below expectations.
In its latest “Growth Scenario” report, the SLTDA projected three possible outcomes for the year. Under the base case, average monthly arrivals of 280,000 from August to December would result in 2.78 million visitors — a post-crisis high but still short of the original 3 million target. The optimistic scenario, requiring 330,000 monthly arrivals, could bring the target within reach, but only with swift visa reforms and intensified global marketing. In contrast, the pessimistic scenario foresees a total of around 2.6 million visitors now informally accepted as the revised target.
Confirming this shift, SLTDA Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam recently acknowledged that Sri Lanka is now aiming for at least 2.6 million arrivals this year. He described this as a “historical high,” surpassing the pre-pandemic record of 2.33 million tourists in 2018. To meet the revised goal, the country will need to attract roughly 875,000 visitors in the final quarter of 2025.
Tourism earnings have also shown resilience. According to the Central Bank, the sector generated $2.3 billion in the first eight months of 2025, up 5.7% year-on-year. Although this remains below the Government’s $5 billion annual target, analysts expect total revenue to exceed last year’s $3.17 billion, the highest since 2018.
Industry stakeholders remain cautiously optimistic. While Sri Lanka may not reach its original 2025 ambitions, they say the sector’s recovery is unmistakable — bolstered by strong seasonal prospects and global recognition. However, they warn that sustaining this growth will require a robust international promotion campaign and an expedited visa-free entry programme, ensuring Sri Lanka remains a preferred destination in an increasingly competitive regional tourism landscape
