Sri Lanka recorded 143,623 tourist arrivals during the first 27 days of September, marking a 0.4 percent increase compared to the corresponding period last year, according to data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA).
The island welcomed 143,623 tourists between 1 and 27 September, compared with 143,085 during the same period in 2025. The increase comes as stronger arrivals from markets such as Japan and Australia have helped put September on course to potentially end three consecutive months of year-on-year declines.
Sri Lanka recorded 158,971 tourist arrivals throughout September 2025. To exceed that figure this year, the country needs a further 15,348 visitors during the final three days of September. This is lower than the 15,886 arrivals recorded during the corresponding three-day period last year and would result in the first monthly year-on-year increase since May.
Japan has emerged as one of the strongest-performing source markets during the month, sending 5,187 visitors to Sri Lanka by 27 September. This figure has already surpassed Japan’s full-month total of 4,137 arrivals recorded in September 2025, moving the market to sixth place from 10th.
Australia has also exceeded its entire September 2025 figure, recording 10,067 arrivals compared with 9,105 last year. The market moved to third place from fifth, following the launch of Jetstar’s direct low-fare Melbourne-Colombo service on 25 August.
China ranked second among the source markets, with 10,081 arrivals recorded during the first 27 days of September.
Several European and regional markets, however, remained below their full September 2025 totals. Germany recorded 6,745 arrivals compared with 9,344 throughout September last year, while Spain recorded 3,163 against 4,841. Bangladesh also remained behind its previous September total, with 3,923 arrivals compared with 4,953 last year.
The Netherlands, which ranked ninth among source markets last September with 4,433 arrivals, dropped out of the top 10 during the period under review.
Cumulative tourist arrivals reached 1,678,745 by 27 September, representing a decline of 30,863 visitors, or 1.8 percent, compared with the corresponding period last year.
Tourist arrivals increased by 12.9 percent during January and February but have declined by 7.8 percent since March, with the conflict in West Asia disrupting air connectivity to Sri Lanka.
Gulf airspace closures resulted in the cancellation of 205 flights to and from Sri Lanka during the initial days of the conflict, while flights operating between Sri Lanka and Europe were rerouted to avoid affected Middle Eastern airspace.
India remains a strong-performing source market, with 431,162 Indian visitors recorded during the first nine months of the year, 14.9 percent higher than the corresponding period last year. In contrast, arrivals from Russia stood at 82,733, representing a 32.3 percent decline.
Air connectivity is expected to improve ahead of the peak winter tourism season, with several airlines planning to increase or resume services to Sri Lanka.
British Airways is scheduled to resume London Gatwick-Colombo flights on 23 October, ending an absence of more than 11 years. Edelweiss is also expected to increase its seasonal Zurich-Colombo service to three flights per week from 26 October, while French Bee is scheduled to launch Paris Orly-Colombo services on 19 December.
Russian airlines are also expected to introduce close to 50,000 winter seats from eight Russian cities to Mattala and Colombo between October and April. The additional capacity could help support the Russian market, which has recorded a decline of 39,411 arrivals this year, a reduction larger than Sri Lanka’s overall shortfall.
The additional air capacity will be significant for Sri Lanka’s target of 2.5 million tourist arrivals for the year. To reach that target, the country needs to attract 821,255 visitors between 28 September and 31 December.
Achieving the target would require tourist arrivals to grow by 25.8 percent during the remaining period compared with the same period last year. This would be more than double the 12.2 percent growth recorded during the corresponding period in 2025, when Sri Lanka welcomed 652,913 tourists compared with 581,744 a year earlier.
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