Sri Lanka posts record foreign tourist arrivals in 2025

COLOMBO, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka recorded its highest number of foreign tourist arrivals in 2025, with tourism earnings reaching new annual records despite disruptions caused by Cyclone Ditwah, said the country's foreign minister at a Monday media briefing.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath said Sri Lanka received more than 2.36 million foreign tourists during the year, the highest number recorded in a single calendar year.

Tourism revenue totaled 3.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, confirming the sector's position as the country's second-largest source of foreign exchange, the minister added.

Tourist inflows remained strong despite the impact of Cyclone Ditwah, which struck the island at the end of November. The minister said tourism arrivals continued following the disaster due to policy support measures and promotional activity.

Sri Lanka has set a minimum target of 3 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2026, representing an increase of about 27 percent from 2025 levels. Authorities expect tourism growth to contribute to economic recovery efforts as overall growth projections for 2026 were revised downward to 2.9 percent by the International Monetary Fund following the cyclone.■