The Central Bank of Sri Lanka says tourism earnings for Sri Lanka fell sharply in April 2026 despite continued tourist arrivals.
According to CBSL data, total tourism earnings for April 2026 amounted to US$157.1 million.
This represents a decline of 38.8% compared to April 2025, when tourism earnings stood at US$256.7 million.
Statistics released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority show that 135,643 foreign tourists visited Sri Lanka during April 2026.
For comparison, Sri Lanka earned US$256.7 million in January 2025 with 174,608 tourist arrivals.
Meanwhile, between January and April 2026:
- Total tourist arrivals reached 876,277
- Total tourism earnings amounted to US$1.111 billion
During the same period in 2025:
- Tourist arrivals stood at 896,884
- Tourism earnings totaled US$1.379 billion
Accordingly, compared to the corresponding period last year:
- Tourist arrivals declined by 2.3%
- Tourism earnings dropped by 19.4%
The figures indicate that while visitor numbers have only slightly decreased, average tourism-related spending and foreign exchange inflows have declined more significantly.
