Sri Lanka received 183,979 tourists in March 2026 - down 19.7% over same month in 2025
March has been a punishing month for the travel industry - one set in motion on February 28, when the Iran war triggered disruptions not seen at this scale since the pandemic. Sri Lanka, like several other countries is feeling the impact already, when it recorded a total 183,979 tourist arrivals in March 2026, a sharp decline compared to the same month last year. The figure represents a 19.7% drop from March 2025 and a 21.2% decrease compared to March 2018, highlighting a slowdown after strong growth in the first two months of the year.
According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), January 2026 recorded 277,327 arrivals, reflecting a 9.7% increase from January 2025 and a 16% rise compared to 2018. February 2026 saw 279,328 arrivals, marking a 16.2% increase from February 2025 and an 18.5% rise compared to 2018. These strong gains in the first two months highlight the contrast with March’s sharp decline.
India remained the leading source market in March, contributing 47,533 visitors, followed by the United Kingdom with 18,092, the Russian Federation with 15,685, China with 14,064, and Germany with 13,429. Australia, France, the United States, Japan, and Bangladesh rounded off the top ten source markets.
Sri Lanka’s tourism sector welcomed a total of 740,634 visitors in the first quarter of 2026.
India’s IndiGo Airlines expands international network with new, direct flights between Delhi and Colombo. IndiGo is further strengthening its connectivity to Sri Lanka, with the launch of new, direct flights between Delhi and Colombo. Commencing 29 March 2026, the airline will operate six flights every week on this route using its A320 aircraft. With the addition of these flights, IndiGo will operate over 55 weekly flights to Colombo from five cities in India, namely Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and now Delhi. IndiGo also connects Chennai and Tiruchirappalli to Jaffna with 10 weekly flights.
Belavia Airline has announced flights to Mattala International Airport from the Minsk National Airport in April. According to the airline, flights to Mattala Sri Lanka are scheduled for 3 and 14 April.
Turkish Airlines announced two additional weekly flights between Istanbul and Colombo from 5 April to 21 October 2026 to improve connectivity and support passenger demand.
Plans are afoot for either IndoGo or Sri Lankan Airlines to introduce a 3-4 frequency per week, direct flight between Colombo and Ahmadabad, beginning 15th May 2026.
Sri Lankan Airlines has announced that it will increase its weekly flights from Colombo to Melbourne from seven to ten, effective 2nd August 2026.
British flag carrier British Airways announced a new route between London Gatwick (LGW) and Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) that will start running in October 2026. The flight will run three times a week seasonally.
Hospitality Sri Lanka
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