Sri Lanka’s tourism earnings pass 2b USD in first 7 months

Dhaka: SRI Lanka's tourism earnings crossed the $2 billion revenue mark in the first seven months of 2025, though July saw a slight decline despite strong visitor arrivals.

The latest data released by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) revealed that during the first seven months, the tourism sector has earned over $2.03 billion, up 7.8pc year-on-year (YoY) compared to the same period last year.

However, the figure is still short of the 2018 JanuaryJuly record of over $2.59 billion-the year Sri Lanka posted its highest-ever tourism revenue of $4.38 billion.

Given the ambitious targets by year-end, the sector faces an uphill battle to meet $5 billion in earnings and 3 million arrivals after a mixed performance in the first seven months of 2025. 

To achieve the $5 billion year-end target, Sri Lanka now needs to secure over $2.96 billion in the remaining five months of 2025.

In July 2025, the tourism industry generated $318.5 million, down 3.07pc YoY from $328.3 million in July 2024, reflecting a slowdown despite the 200,244 arrivals.

-B