Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange revenue from tourism rose to $37.6 million in February 2025, marking a 6.3 percent increase compared to the same month last year, according to data from the central bank and tourism promotion authorities.
The country had recorded $345.7 million in tourism revenue in February 2024. Overall, in the first two months of 2025, Sri Lanka has earned $768.2 million from tourism, reflecting an 11.7 percent growth from $687.5 million in the corresponding period of the previous year.
In 2024, Sri Lanka’s tourism sector generated $3.17 billion in revenue, a 53.2 percent surge from the $2.07 billion recorded in 2023. Tourist arrivals have also seen a steady rise, with a 15.3 percent increase in the first 72 days of 2025. A total of 590,300 foreign visitors arrived in Sri Lanka as of March 13, surpassing the figures from last year.
In 2024, the total number of arrivals stood at 2.05 million, marking a 38.1 percent increase compared to the previous year. However, Sri Lanka fell short of its ambitious target of 2.3 million arrivals and $5 billion in revenue for 2024. The government has now set a goal of attracting 3 million visitors in 2025.
The peak tourism season in Sri Lanka, which began late last year, is expected to continue until early March, further boosting revenue and arrivals. The tourism sector, once contributing nearly 5 percent to the nation’s economy in its peak year of 2018, has faced multiple challenges in recent years, including the Easter Sunday attacks in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and an unprecedented economic crisis.
The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) estimates tourism earnings through regular surveys. The influx of tourism earnings has contributed to an improvement in the country’s imports and trade deficit, as income generated within the sector circulates through wages and spending, supporting broader economic activity.
