Sri Lanka’s tourism and worker remittance inflows posted strong growth in October 2025, reflecting continued recovery in both sectors, official data showed.
Tourist arrivals rose to 165,193 in October 2025, up from 135,907 in the same month last year — a year-on-year increase of 16.7 percent. Arrivals for the January–October period climbed to 1.89 million, compared to 1.62 million in 2024.
Tourism earnings also improved, reaching USD 186.1 million in October 2025, slightly higher than USD 185.6 million recorded in October 2024. Cumulative tourism revenue for the first ten months rose to USD 2.66 billion, up 4.9 percent from last year.
Worker remittances recorded an even sharper increase. Inflows surged to USD 712 million in October 2025, compared to USD 587.7 million in October 2024 — a 20.1 percent rise. Total remittances for January–October jumped to USD 6.52 billion, up from USD 5.43 billion last year.
In rupee terms, tourism earnings amounted to Rs. 56.4 billion in October, while worker remittances reached Rs. 215.8 billion, reflecting the combined impact of higher inflows and exchange-rate movements. (Newswire)
