Sri Lanka’s tourism earnings declined by 9.2% during the first nine months of 2026, despite the country welcoming nearly 1.7 million international visitors, according to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL).
The latest External Sector Performance report revealed that tourism earnings fell to US$ 2.25 billion during January–September 2026, compared to US$ 2.47 billion during the corresponding period last year.
Tourist arrivals also declined by 1.8% during the nine-month period, with Sri Lanka recording 1,693,679 arrivals.
However, the decline in tourism earnings was considerably sharper than the reduction in visitor numbers.
In September alone, Sri Lanka welcomed 158,557 tourists, reflecting a marginal decline of 0.3% compared to September 2025.
Despite the slight drop in arrivals, tourism earnings for September increased by 1.5% to US$ 186 million, compared to US$ 183 million during the same month last year.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s expenditure on foreign travel increased sharply during the first nine months of 2026.
According to the Central Bank, spending on travel abroad surged by 62.4% to US$ 937.2 million during January–September, compared to US$ 577 million during the corresponding period last year.
In September alone, foreign travel expenditure increased by 64.9% to US$ 122 million.
The Central Bank said higher travel and air transport payments contributed to a reduction in Sri Lanka’s services account surplus.
The cumulative services account surplus declined by 22.3% to US$ 2.21 billion during the first nine months of 2026.
The tourism earnings estimates are based on a revised methodology introduced by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) in May 2026, which incorporates country-specific visitor arrivals, average daily spending and average length of stay. (Newswire)