Sunday, September 6 2026
Sunday, September 6 2026
MONETABRIEF – Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals which fell for two months amid the US-Israel war on Iran grew 9.6 percent in May to 145,745, data from the state tourism promotion office shows.
Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka fell by 19.8 percent in March to 183,979 from 229,298 at the tail-end of the winter tourist season, and also fell 22.3 percent to 135,643 in April amid continued flight disruptions.
Total arrivals in the first five months of the year were 1,022 million, helped by strong growth in January and February 2026, but was still short of 1,029.803 in 2025, Sri Lanka Tourist Development Authority data showed.
Flights from Europe in particular, which use Gulf states as hubs were cancelled as the war intensified.
In April, Southern European arrivals were down 62 percent, Central and Eastern Europe down 50 percent and Western Europe down 40 percent.
In May the recovery was led by India, with arrivals growing 28 percent to 60,342, China was up 4 percent to 9,155.
In the first five months of the year, Indian arrivals were up 24.5 percent to 250,260 and China was 67,947 up from 56,983. (Colombo/June29/2026)
| 3 month bill | 9.22% | 22bp ▼ |
| 12-m bill | 9.91% | 10bp ▼ |
| Gold (Ounce) | $4602 | - - |
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