In a significant boost to the tourism sector, Sri Lanka has recorded over one million tourist arrivals in 2025, reaching the milestone faster than in the previous year.
According to the latest data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), a total of 1,006,097 foreign tourists arrived in the country as of 25 May 2025. The SLTDA highlighted that while the one-million mark was only surpassed in June last year, it has been achieved within the first five months of this year.
During the first 25 days of May alone, 109,213 tourists visited the country. Of these, 39,070 arrivals were from India, accounting for 35.8% of the monthly total. Other key source markets include the United Kingdom (7,661), China (7,139), Germany (6,143), and Bangladesh (5,637).
For the year to date, India continues to lead as the top source market with 196,129 visitors. Russia follows with 110,043 arrivals, while the United Kingdom ranks third with 94,714 visitors.
The SLTDA sees this surge in tourist arrivals as a positive sign for the industry’s recovery and growth in 2025.
