Over 70,000 tourists in March so far, but monthly target remains challenging

Friday, 14 March 2025 00:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

First nine-days of March welcomes 70,449 tourists, requiring 232,354 more arrivals in next 22-days to meet 302,803 monthly target
Year-to-date arrivals up 16% YoY to 563,427
Tourism industry urge launch of global campaign and free-visa initiative as winter season comes to an end
Assert to capitalise on Sri Lanka’s global accolades to boost offseason arrivals
India, Russia and Germany emerge as top markets so far in March
Analysts stress need for stronger promotions, better connectivity and seamless visitor experience

Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has drawn over 70,000 visitors during the first nine days of March, but the country faces an uphill battle to meet its ambitious monthly target of 302,803 arrivals.

From 1-9 March, Sri Lanka welcomed a total of 70,449 tourists, a notable increase from 60,7222 in the same period in 2024, whilst the daily average arrivals during the same time have also increased from 6,747 in last year to 7,828 in 2025.

This has also propelled the year-to-date (YTD) arrivals to 563,427 — reflecting a 16% year-on-year (YoY) growth.

Despite this positive momentum, Sri Lanka Tourism faces a major challenge in meeting its March target, with the country still requiring 232,354 more arrivals in the next 22 days — a daunting 77% of the total target.

Adding to the concerns, the industry failed to meet its targets in the first two months of 2025, raising doubts about whether March will fare any better.

The industry insists that Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) must roll out its much delayed global campaign along with the free-visa push, to continue the encouraging growth shown in early 2025 through the rest of the year as winter season comes to an end this month.

They also opined that the authorities must now take the initiative to take the full advantage of the international accolades and rankings of Sri Lanka as a destination, in implementing the promotional campaign to attract visitors during the offseason.

So far in March, India (10,523), Russia (9,475) and Germany (6,626) have been the top three contributors to the country’s tourist influx.

On a YTD basis, India remains Sri Lanka’s single largest market with 89,626 arrivals — consistently driving the highest number of travellers, followed by Russia with 73,866 visitors and the UK with 53,838 tourists.

For the full year, Sri Lanka aims to attract 3 million visitors and generate $ 5 billion in revenue — a target that will require sustained growth in the coming months.

“Although the 16% YoY growth seems promising, Sri Lanka Tourism must significantly ramp up its efforts to boost arrivals in the remainder of 2025. The failure to hit monthly projections will only add pressure to achieve the desired goals by the year end. Thus, making it crucial for tourism authorities to strengthen promotional efforts, enhance connectivity and ensure a seamless experience for visitors,” the industry analysts added. (CdeS)

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