Foreign tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka fell by 19.7% year-on-year to 183,979 in March 2026, reversing a 16.2% increase recorded in February. This was the lowest monthly figure in five months and the first annual decline since November 2021.
Despite the setback, the data still point to resilient travel demand, with regional markets—particularly India—continuing to underpin Sri Lanka’s tourism recovery. India remained the leading source market, with 47,533 visitors in March, representing 26% of total arrivals and reinforcing its role as the island’s primary inbound tourism driver. The next largest source markets were the United Kingdom (18,092), Russia (15,685), China (14,064), Germany (13,429), and Australia (11,197).
For the period from January 1 to March 31, 2026, total tourist arrivals reached 740,634, an increase of 2.5% compared with the same period a year earlier.
