Tourism kicks off 2025 with over $ 400 m earnings

Monday, 3 March 2025 04:50 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

January earnings up 17.2% YoY and 11% from December 2024
Marks highest revenue since 2020 in tandem with record visitor influx
Industry opines current growth trajectory suggests sector is on brink of full-fledged revival

Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has kicked off 2025 with a remarkable surge, as earnings surpassed $ 400 million in January, fuelled by record-breaking visitor numbers.

The latest data from the Central Bank shows that the sector generated a total of $ 400.7 million in revenue during January, reflecting a 17.2% increase compared to the same period last year.

This also marks the highest earnings for January since 2020, reinforcing the industry’s resilience and steady recovery. The surge in tourism revenue is particularly notable when compared month-on-month, as January earnings were 11% higher than December 2024.

The highest-ever earnings recorded in January were in 2019, amounting to $ 460.34 million, and the all-time peak in monthly earnings was $ 475.2 million in December 2018. The industry opines that the current growth trajectory suggests Sri Lanka tourism is on the brink of a full-fledged revival.

Tourism has long been a crucial source of foreign exchange for Sri Lanka, contributing over 14% of foreign currency earnings between 2014 and 2019. However, the industry faced severe setbacks in the past six years, losing around $ 15 billion between 2019 and 2022 due to multiple crises.

Despite these challenges, Sri Lanka welcomed 2.05 million tourists last year, generating over $ 3.2 billion in revenue, a staggering 52.38% year-on-year (YoY) increase. With an ambitious target set for 2025, the country aims to attract 3 million visitors and surpass $ 5 billion in tourism income.

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