Sri Lanka s tourist arrivals in 2026 surpass 500,000

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has announced that the number of foreign tourists coming to the island has now exceeded 500,000 this year. The latest figures from the SLTDA show that from January 1 to February 22, 2026, a total of 505,751 tourists visited Sri Lanka. The data also indicates that 228,424 tourists arrived between February 1 and 22, 2026. Notably, the weekly number of arrivals during the first three weeks of February surpassed 70,000 each week. Specifically, the first week of February saw 70,355 arrivals, the second week had 77,870, and the third week recorded 71,101 arrivals. Indian tourists made up the largest group, with 89,277 visitors. Following them were British tourists at 55,407, Russian tourists at 45,351, Germans at 35,413, and Chinese visitors at 31,621. The SLTDA also mentioned that many visitors came from other countries, such as France, Australia, and the Netherlands.