Single-day surge lifts October tourist arrivals 2.9% at mid-month

Sri Lanka welcomed 77,868 tourists in the first 15 days of October, 2.9 percent more than the 75,655 recorded over the same period last year, as per Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) data.

However, the gain was made almost entirely on October 15, when 6,682 holidaymakers arrived against 4,442 a year earlier, after the first 14 days ended just 27 arrivals short of last year’s tally. The jump coincided with the run-up to the Durga Puja and Dussehra holidays in India, which fall between October 16 and 21 this year, compared to late September and early October in 2025.

India accounted for 29,323 arrivals, or 37.7 percent of the total, up from a 29.1 percent share across the whole of October last year. China moved up to second with 5,988 arrivals, ahead of the United Kingdom, while Russia slipped to sixth from third with 2,487.

Surpassing last October’s 165,193 would end four consecutive months of decline and requires 87,326 more arrivals over the remaining 16 days, which is 2.5 percent fewer than the 89,538 recorded over the same days in 2025.

Cumulative arrivals reached 1,771,547 by October 15, down 1.6 percent when compared to the same period last year. The island now needs 728,673 more arrivals by year end to reach SLTDA’s conservative scenario of 2.5 million, which is 29.8 percent above the 561,372 welcomed over the corresponding period last year.