Sri Lanka tourism earnings drop 9.2% in first nine months
Posted by Onlanka News on
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Sri Lanka’s tourism earnings fell by 9.2% to US$2,245.2 million during the first nine months of 2026, compared with the same period last year, according to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL).
The Central Bank’s latest data shows that the country earned US$2,472.9 million from tourism between January and September 2025, representing a decline of US$227.7 million this year.
However, tourism earnings in September 2026 increased by 1.5% to US$185.6 million, compared with US$182.9 million recorded in September last year.
Meanwhile, a total of 1,693,679 tourists arrived in Sri Lanka between January and September 2026, reflecting a 1.8% decrease compared with the same period in 2025.