Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals top 500,000 in January-February
The Morning: The total number of foreign tourists who have arrived in Sri Lanka in the first two months of 2025 has already surpassed 500,000, according to the latest data.
The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has expressed confidence in reaching the target of three million tourist arrivals for the year 2025.
The tourism industry, which remains a significant contributor to Sri Lanka’s economy, is currently experiencing remarkable growth.
The expected target of two million foreign tourist arrivals for 2024 was successfully achieved.
It is noteworthy that more than 500,000 foreign tourists visited Sri Lanka in the initial two months of this year, which has further fueled optimism within the sector.
According to the SLTDA, a total of 530,746 foreign tourists arrived in Sri Lanka between 1 January and 5 March.
The largest nationality of tourists, numbering 84,476, arrived from neighboring India.
Following India, Russia contributed more than 70,000 tourist arrivals, while the United Kingdom ranks third with over 50,000 visitors.
Furthermore, significant numbers of tourists have also arrived from countries such as Germany, France, and China.
Notably, approximately 37,768 foreign tourists visited the island in the first five days of March alone.
OSL take:
The steady growth in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has made it one of the key revenue generators to the country with the potential of further growth. Tourist arrivals to the country surpassing 500,000 in January and February this year indicates the growth and business potential in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry. Given the increasing global recognition as a must visit tourist destination and the many promotional campaigns being carried out by local tourism authorities in tourist source markets along while exploring new tourism concepts in the country, there are many business/investment opportunities emerging in the industry. These opportunities range from the development of infrastructure and supplementary infrastructure facilities in-line with the expanding tourism concepts as well as the expansion in the local leisure and hospitality sectors. The growing business potential in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is evident by the interest shown by international leisure and hospitality brands to enter Sri Lanka. With the local tourism industry showing a growth potential, foreign businesses/investors should confidently explore the many business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry and related sectors.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20250314/Z_2 |