Sri Lanka recorded 191,704 international tourist arrivals in August 2026, marking a 3.3% year-on-year decline compared with the same month last year. This follows a 1.7% decline recorded in July, making August the fifth month this year to record an annual decrease.

Despite the monthly slowdown, Sri Lanka crossed an important milestone as total tourist arrivals from January through August reached 1,535,122, taking the country beyond the 1.5 million mark for the year.

India remained Sri Lanka’s largest source market in August, accounting for 47,253 visitors, followed by the United Kingdom with 19,588. China moved into third place with 12,321 arrivals, ahead of Germany, while France completed the top five.

The softer arrival figures have also led Sri Lanka to revise its 2026 tourism targets, reducing the expected number of visitors from 3 million to 2.7 million and the tourism revenue target from USD 5 billion to USD 4.2 billion.

With the peak travel season approaching, tourism businesses across Sri Lanka will be looking to stronger international demand and improved market performance to support arrivals through the remainder of the year.