Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has begun 2026 on a strong footing, recording its highest-ever January arrivals, welcoming over 277,000 visitors and surpassing the previous high of 252,761 registered last year.
The country welcomed 277,327 tourists in January, marking a 10% year-on-year (YoY) increase compared to the same period last year. The improvement was underpinned by a notable rise in average daily arrivals, highlighting the industry’s continued recovery momentum following several years of disruption.
Average daily arrivals stood at 8,946 during the month, while the highest single-day inflow was recorded on 15 January, when 10,483 visitors arrived in the country. Weekly figures showed a steady upward trend, with 58,822 arrivals in the first week of January, followed by 62,590 in the second week, 64,077 in the third, and a sharp rise to 91,838 in the final week of the month.