Sri Lanka welcomes over 144,000 tourists in first 24 days of April

Monday, 28 April 2025 04:49 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

YTD tourist arrivals at 866,596, up 15% YoY
India continues to dominate with 148,078 arrivals so far this year, followed by Russia and UK

Sri Lanka’s tourism industry continues its momentum with a significant year-on-year (YoY) increase in visitor numbers during 2025, according to the latest official data.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) noted that during the first 24 days of April, the country welcomed 144,320 tourists, marking a 22.1% increase, compared to 118,134 arrivals recorded during the same period in 2024, supported by a strong daily average of 6,013 visitors.

This favourable situation also pushed the year-to-date (YTD) arrivals from 1 January to 24 April 2025 to reach 866,596 visitors, reflecting a growth of 15% compared to 753,918 tourists during the corresponding period last year.

Tourism authorities expect full-month arrivals for April 2025 to reach around 224,710 to achieve its ambitious 3 million arrivals target.

In terms of source markets, India continues to dominate with 148,078 arrivals so far this year. The Russian Federation follows with 105,427 visitors, while the United Kingdom ranks third with 85,206 arrivals.

During the first 24 days of April alone, India accounted for 29,763 tourists, followed by the United Kingdom with 15,501 and the Russian Federation with 11,859.

Despite the steady rise in arrivals underscoring growing international confidence in Sri Lanka as a travel destination, authorities have failed to roll out the much-anticipated global tourism promotion campaign so far.

Earlier this month, Sri Lanka Tourism officials confirmed that the global campaign together with its new unified national branding would be launched soon after Sinhala and Tamil New Year.

But so far, there has been no official announcement or sign.

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