Chinese tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka dipped for the second consecutive month in the first quarter, making France the fifth largest source of tourist arrivals in February and March, data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has shown.
China has consistently been among the top five tourism source markets in 2024, with Chinese arrivals making 6.8% (14,836) and 6.2% (12,865) of arrivals in February and March of 2024 respectively, easing down by 1.5% (11,690) and 1.4% (11,114) during the same consecutive period this year.
In the recent past, France has not consistently ranked among the top five largest source markets, only ranking as the fifth largest source market in the month of April in 2024.
China is among the top nine destinations the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) are targeting in their global tourism campaign for 2025, having announced its commencement from the end of March.
SLTPB Chairperson Buddhika Hewawasam told Travel Voice that Sri Lanka expects a 50% increase in arrivals from the nine targeted source markets (India, China, Germany, the UK, France, Australia, the Middle East, Russia, and the Asia-Pacific region) for 2025, through the global campaign.
More recently, the SLTPB announced that it is banking on the campaign’s reach through Chinese Instagram equivalent social media platform: Xiaohongshu (RedNote).
Sri Lanka experienced a significant increase in Chinese tourist arrivals in the lead-up to and during the Lunar New Year in 2025, with 19,809 visitors, according to data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority. The numbers were a notable rise compared to February 2024, when arrivals stood at 14,836 during the same festive period.
