Sri Lanka targets USD 5b tourism revenue for 2026

Colombo : Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam announced plans to generate USD 4.5 billion in revenue from the tourism sector this year.

Speaking to the media, the Chairman detailed the strategic goals set for the tourism industry. According to Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam, by February 2026, 228,000 tourists have arrived in the country.

Altogether 505,000 tourists have arrived in the country during 2026.  Compared to last year this shows an improvement of 10-15 percent.  Most tourist arrivals were seen from India, UK, Russia, and France. According to Chairman of SLTDA three million tourist arrivals are expected this year.

In terms of service improvement in the tourism industry, he emphasized that it is expected to improve services under three areas - government infrastructure facilities including fund allocation to infrastructure facilities, improving services in tourist hotels, and lodging facilities including logistics improvements and attracting investments to further develop the tourism sector.