Sri Lanka’s tourism earnings dropped 9.2% in the first nine months of 2026, even though the country welcomed nearly 1.7 million international visitors, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has reported.
The Central Bank’s latest External Sector Performance report shows tourism revenue of US$ 2.25 billion for January to September 2026, compared to US$ 2.47 billion in the same period last year. Arrivals slipped 1.8% to 1,693,679, meaning earnings fell far more sharply than visitor numbers.
September offered a slight improvement. The country received 158,557 tourists, a marginal 0.3% decrease year-on-year, but earnings for the month rose 1.5% to US$ 186 million from US$ 183 million a year earlier.
Spending by Sri Lankans travelling abroad climbed steeply over the same period. Foreign travel expenditure jumped 62.4% to US$ 937.2 million in January to September, up from US$ 577 million a year earlier, while September spending alone rose 64.9% to US$ 122 million.
The Central Bank said higher payments for foreign travel and air transportation contributed to a 22.3% decline in the cumulative services account surplus, which fell to US$ 2.21 billion.
The latest earnings estimates use a revised methodology introduced by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) in May 2026, which factors in country-specific arrivals, average daily spending and the average length of stay.
