Sri Lanka woos over 112,000 tourists in first two weeks of 2025

The tourism industry is witnessing a remarkable surge, welcoming over 112,000 visitors in the first two weeks of January, setting an optimistic tone for Sri Lanka’s trajectory in 2025.

According to the latest data, a total of 112,415 tourists visited the country, reflecting a 21.11% year-on-year (YoY) growth, compared to the 92,821 arrivals registered during the same period in 2024.

This also pushed the daily average arrivals growth by 21.12% YoY to 8,030 from 6,630 in the corresponding period last year, signalling renewed optimism for the industry.

As the industry showcases resilience and recovery, stakeholders remain hopeful for sustained growth, contributing to the forex inflow and economic recovery. 

India leads arrivals for 2025 with 19,353 visitors, while Russia follows closely with 17,225 tourists, and the UK with 9,178 travellers. Germany and Australia were also among the top five source markets, sending 7,455 and 4,815 tourists.

For 2025, Sri Lanka Tourism has set an ambitious target to welcome 3 million tourists and generate $ 5 billion revenue. 

The country concluded 2024 with over 2.05 million arrivals and $ 3.2 billion income. It was the third highest arrivals registered and fifth highest revenue ever registered and the highest since 2019. 

Meanwhile following on the globe accolades BBC Travel has ranked Sri Lanka among ‘The 25 best places to travel in 2025’.

The unique feature of this is that Sri Lanka and Japan are the only two Asian countries to be included in the ‘top ten’ list.

In announcing the winners of its Top 25 Destinations, the BBC said, “From its misty hilltop tea plantations and roaming wild elephants to its ancient temples and rolling surf, Sri Lanka is a country that ticks lots of boxes.

Dominica topped the BBC’s “25 Best Places to Travel in 2025”, followed by Japan, Italy, Greenland, Wales, Canada, USA and Australia, with Panama taking the 10th place