Tourism earnings to undershoot despite arrivals surge

SRI Lanka is bracing for lower-than-expected tourism earnings following a downward revision in the estimated daily spending of visitors by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), a key metric used to calculate the industry's contribution to the economy.

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Addressing the media at the post-Monetary Policy Review briefing, Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said the SLTDA had identified weaknesses in its previous estimation method and corrected them based on a new survey.

"There were some weaknesses in estimating the per day spending by the SLTDA and they have recognised the mistake and revised based on a new survey," he added.

The SLTDA had been depending on spending estimates drawn from a 2018 survey, but its updated assessment from August 2025 has prompted a sharp reduction in its per-day spending figure from $ 171 to $148.

Adding to that, CBSL Economic Research Department Head Dr. Sujeetha Jeganathan said the revision explains why tourism revenue has not kept pace with the rising number of visitors.

"This is why even though we are seeing the tourist arrivals have almost gone to the 2018 level, in terms of earnings we are not going to reach the 2018 level. So we will end up closer to last year's earnings levels," she noted.