Sri Lanka reports US$3.17B in tourism revenues for 2024

Sri Lanka’s tourism sector reports that it earned around US$3.17 billion in 2024.

According to a new report issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), national tourism revenues were up 53.2 percent from 2023’s total of around US$2.07 billion.

The CBSL report also showed that more than two million foreign tourists visited the country in the past year, an increase of around 38.1 percent from 2023.

For 2025, the Sri Lankan government has an arrivals target of at least three million tourists who may generate up to US$ 5 billion in revenues.

Off to a good start

Sri Lanka is already well on its way to meeting its arrivals target for this year, as the first five days of 2025 already brought in 39,415 travellers to the country.

This is significantly higher than the 32,453 tourists welcomed in the first week of 2024.

This surge was notably boosted by an influx of Russian tourists who made their way to the country following the New Year Holiday.

According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), daily arrivals are currently at 7,883 compared to 6,491 daily throughout the first week of the past year.

Russia and India led the charge with 6,481 and 6,183 tourists respectively. 

The UK ranked third with 2,928 arrivals, followed by Germany, Australia, the US, Poland, France, China, and the Netherlands.