Sri Lanka tourism sees strong tourist arrivals in October despite visa processing challenges

Sri Lanka welcomes over 63,000 tourists in the first 15 days of October, pushing the cumulative total for 2024 to over 1.54 million visitors.

Despite the figures reflect a steady recovery for the country’s tourism sector; the visa processing issues have hampered growth, particularly in the early weeks of the month.

Tourist arrivals in the first half of October averages 4,233 visitors per day, with the first two weeks struggling to exceed 35,000 tourists per week. 

Despite these challenges, Sri Lanka continues to draw significant numbers, with India remaining the top source market. The neighbouring giant contributed to 18,078 tourists in the first half of October, followed by China with 4,504 and the UK close behind with 4,495 visitors.

India has been a standout contributor to Sri Lanka’s tourism rebound, crossing the 300,000 mark for the year, with 304,634 arrivals year-to-date (YTD). The UK follows with 140,959 arrivals, and Russia ranks third at 130,701 for the year. These key markets have provided much-needed support as Sri Lanka works to recover its tourism sector, which was severely impacted by multiple challenges over the past five years and political instability.

While the country has seen steady growth in 2024, challenges such as delayed visa processing have hindered Sri Lanka’s ability to fully capitalise on rising global travel demand. 

For 2024, Sri Lanka is aiming to draw 2.3 million and generate a foreign income $ 4 billion.