Sri Lanka’s tourism revenue declined by 10.9 percent year-on-year in June 2026 to US$151.1 million, marking the lowest monthly earnings from tourism since October 2023, according to data from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, which cited figures from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA).
For the first half of 2026, total tourism revenue decreased by 11.8 percent to US$1,511.1 million compared to US$1,712.6 million in the same period of 2025. This fall coincides with the retrospective revision made by the SLTDA in May 2026 for its tourism earnings calculation methodology, applied since January 2026 to improve the “accuracy
and representativeness” of reported data. The revision resulted in a lowered reported average daily spending per tourist and reduced duration of stays, factors that contributed to the overall lower revenue figures despite rising tourist arrivals.
June 2026 marked the tenth month in the previous twelve with a decline in monthly tourism revenue, with only September and October 2025 showing increases during this period. The Central Bank highlighted that tourism revenue has been falling year-on-year since late February 2026, a timing linked to the outbreak of U.S. and Israel military actions against Iran beginning on February 28.
In 2025, Sri Lanka
recorded total tourism revenue of US$3.22 billion, a 1.6 percent increase over US$3.17 billion in 2024. Foreign tourist arrivals also reached a record 2,362,521 visitors in 2025, up 15.1 percent from 2,053,465 arrivals the previous year. At its peak in 2018, tourism contributed nearly 5 percent to Sri Lanka’s economy. However, the sector has faced challenges from the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide attacks, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and an ongoing economic crisis.
The SLTDA emphasized the need for revising the tourism revenue compilation to enhance data accuracy. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka confirmed its tourism revenue figures are
based on data from the tourism promotion authority. These institutional acknowledgments underscore adjustments to reporting amid fluctuating revenue despite increased visitor numbers.
