Sri Lanka’s tourism trade receipts continue to remain strong and arrivals are strong. This comes as global publications have identified the country as a preferred destination for travel in 2025.
Sri Lanka earned US$367.6 million from trade in February 2025, making it the country’s third largest foreign exchange earner after remittances and apparel, taking total receipts for the first two months of the year to US$768.2 million.
This marks a slight decrease from the US$400.7 million earned in January 2025, and an increase from the US$345.7 million earned in the same month in 2024.
The cumulative receipts increased by 11.7 percent from the same period a year ago.
February saw strong revenue growth with 240,217 tourist arrivals recorded. This is an increase from 218,350 arrivals in the same month a year ago.
As March enters its mid-year, data shows that Sri Lanka welcomed 97,322 tourists in the first thirteen days, bringing the total number of arrivals so far this year to 590,300.
Roughly a fortnight ago on March 01, Sri Lanka reached half a million of its arrivals target of welcoming 3.0 million tourists and generating US$5.0 billion in trade by 2025.
If achieved, both arrivals and revenue records will surpass the previous highs achieved by Sri Lanka in 2018.
At its peak in 2018, Sri Lanka hosted 2.5 million tourists, bringing in and spending US$4.4 billion.
However, as Sri Lanka continues to be recognized for the unique diversity of its beaches and its nature, the 2025 targets appear to be within reach.
For example, Condé Nast Traveler has ranked Sri Lanka as the most family-friendly country to visit in 2025.
Meanwhile, TIME magazine has named the Pekoe Trail in Sri Lanka’s central highlands among the world’s 100 best places to visit in 2025.
This is even before the Ministry of Tourism launches its destination marketing campaign later this month.
As the world recovers from the pandemic and the resulting economic disruption, Sri Lanka is seeing its tourism industry get back on track, breaking previous records in both earnings and visitors.
Completed in March 2024, the 186-mile Peko Trail, named after the high-grade black tea, is Sri Lanka’s first long-distance hiking trail. It spans colonial-era roads and railways, starting in the Hanthana Hills near Kandy and passing through tea plantations, eucalyptus forests and villages to reach Nuwara Eliya. The trail also offers breathtaking views of Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak), a sacred pilgrimage site.
