Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is showing a full recovery, with visitor arrivals in 2025 edging close to pre-pandemic and pre-Easter attack levels, according to the latest statistics.
A total of 2,298,987 tourists have arrived in the country so far in 2025, approaching the 2,333,796 arrivals recorded in 2018, the last peak year before the Easter Sunday attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted travel.
The upward momentum has been particularly evident in December. Between December 1 and 25 alone, Sri Lanka welcomed 195,394 visitors, highlighting sustained demand during the traditional peak season.
Christmas Day marked a notable milestone, with 11,111 arrivals recorded on December 25, the highest number of tourists to arrive on a single day this year.
The 2025 performance builds on a strong recovery in 2024, which ended with 2,053,465 tourist arrivals. The continued growth this year reflects renewed global confidence in Sri Lanka as a travel destination, driven by improved connectivity and diversified tourism offerings.
