Sri Lanka surpasses 1.75mn tourist arrivals YTD driven by Asian demand in early October

CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS THREATEN REVISED TARGET OF 2.6MN ARRIVALS

- By NISHEL FERNANDO

► OCTOBER 1-6 PERIOD SHOWED A GROWTH OF 31.12%, COMPARED TO 25,965 ARRIVALS RECORDED DURING SAME PERIOD IN 2024

► INDIA REMAINED LARGEST SOURCE MARKET WITH 10,738 ARRIVALS, FOLLOWED BY CHINA WITH 3,684 ARRIVALS

► CAPACITY CONSTRAINT ALREADY LEADING CHARTER CARRIERS TO DIVERT OPERATIONS TO MATTALA RAJAPAKSA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Sri Lanka's tourism sector has logged a successful entry into the final quarter of the year, with tourist arrivals from October 1-6 reaching 34,046.

This six-day period shows a growth of 31.12 percent, compared to the 25,965 arrivals recorded during the same period in 2024. This strong performance has propelled the year-to-date (YTD) total to 1,759,540, officially surpassing the 1.75 million milestone and locking in a robust YTD growth of approximately 16.2 percent compared to 2024.