Tourism gains momentum with over 300,000 arrivals in 2025 so far

Monday, 10 February 2025 03:35 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Registers over 50,000 arrivals in first week of February
Daily average arrivals reach 8,859, exceeding last year’s figure of 8,282 per day during same period
Sets ambitious target of 310,937 visitors for February
Industry waiting for renewed efforts to roll out global campaign to kick off at least during this month

By Charumini de Silva

Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has gained momentum with over 300,000 visitors received in 2025 so far, showcasing strong growth and optimism in the sector.

The first week of February had seen over 50,000 arrivals, with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) stating 44,293 visitors arrived in just the first five days of the month.

The daily average arrivals reached 8,859, exceeding last year’s figure of 8,282 per day during the same period.

Encouraged by the strong 2024, the SLTDA has set an ambitious target of 310,937 visitors for February, following 252,761 arrivals in January. Although January marked the highest number of monthly visitors ever recorded, it fell short of 52,926 visitors against its initial projection of 305,687 tourists.

India, Russia, the UK, China, and Germany have emerged as the top five source markets so far this month, with additional strong inflows from France, Poland, Australia, the Netherlands, and Bangladesh.

While the country remains optimistic about sustaining the upward trend, the industry is watching closely to see whether renewed efforts to roll out a global campaign will kick off at least during this month.

Sri Lanka Tourism was to launch its promotional initiative with a unified national brand in January 2025, away from mere campaign taglines, aiming to redefine the country’s global tourism appeal and achieve a higher return on investment (RoI).

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