Q1 tourist arrivals soar to new high in 2025

Wednesday, 2 April 2025 00:35 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Records 722,276 arrivals in Q1, surpassing previous high in 2018, but falls short of highest 740,600 in 2019
March welcomes 229,298 arrivals registering 10% YoY growth
Daily arrivals pick up YoY, but declines on month-on-month basis
Misses ambitious forecast of 302,308 monthly target by 73,505 while trailing 2018’s by mere 4,083 tourists
India, Russia and UK emerge top source markets in Q1

Sri Lanka’s tourism sector is riding a wave of growth in 2025, drawing over 722,000 visitors at the end of first quarter, outpacing the performance for the same period in the industry’s best year of 2018—but lagging behind record haul of 740,600 in 2019.

The 229,298 March arrivals pushed the year-to-date (YTD) tourist numbers to 722,276—reinforcing the sector’s steady growth and marking a strong end to the peak winter season.

March arrivals reflect a 10% year-on-year (YoY) growth, while YTD figures registered 14% YoY increase, reinforcing the industry’s steady upward trajectory in 2025.

Despite the positive momentum in March, it fell short of its monthly target of 302,803 arrivals, missing the mark by 73,505 visitors. The total also trailed 2018’s benchmark by a slim margin of 4,084 tourists.

Weekly arrival trends showed a fluctuating yet overall increasing pattern, with 53,113 visitors in the first week, 52,639 in the second, 51,459 in the third, and a significant 72,087 in the final week of March. However, the average arrivals declined from 8,579 in February to 7,397 in March 2025.

Tourism data also highlights an encouraging increase in the daily average of arrivals, which rose from 6,748 in March 2024 to 7,397 in March 2025. However, in a month-on-month comparison, daily arrivals saw a decline from 8,579 in February to 7,397 in March 2025, indicating potential challenges in maintaining consistent growth.

With the peak winter tourism season concluding in March, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) last week launched—’Sri Lanka, A Story for Every Season,’ aiming to attract over 2.2 million travel enthusiasts worldwide and generate an estimated Rs. 32 million in media exposure. This marks SLTPB’s first large-scale summer-focused influencer initiative to establish the country as a year-round travel destination.

India remains Sri Lanka’s top tourism source market in 2025, with a year-to-date (YTD) total of 118,315 visitors. Russia follows closely with 93,568 arrivals, while the United Kingdom secured third place with 69,705 travellers. In March alone, India contributed 39,212 visitors, Russia 29,177, and the UK 22,447 arrivals.

With Sri Lanka’s tourism industry rebounding strongly, industry experts remain optimistic about achieving the ambitious goal of 3 million visitors and over $ 5 billion in revenue in 2025.

In 2024, Sri Lanka welcomed 2.05 million visitors, generating over $3.2 billion in revenue—a 52.38% YoY increase.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.