Average daily foreign visitors into Sri Lanka reduced in the first eight days of December, official data showed, as the island nation’s tourism industry has seen some cancellation after the Cyclone Ditwah-hit devastation that killed more than 600 people across the country.

Sri Lanka tourist officials have said the country is now ready to receive tourists and expects a pick up after December 15.

The devastation has hit Sri Lanka’s key tourist hotspots in the central hill region’s Kandy and Nuwara Eliya districts. Sri Lanka’s peak tourism season is from mid-November to mid-March.

The daily tourist arrival in the first eight days of December 2025 has fallen to 6,278 compared to 8,019 in the full month of December last year, showing a 21.7 percent drop, official data from Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) showed.

The daily average number in the first eight days of December is also 11.5 percent lower than the daily average of last month.

Officials from Inbound Tourists Association have said the numbers will see rise from December 15 and expressed confidence of minimal impact on the arrivals in December, despite floods and landslides last month.

Sri Lanka has witnessed 50,222 foreign visitors into Sri Lanka in the first eight days of December 2025 compared to 47,175, showing an increase of 6.5 percent on year.

Tourism is Sri Lanka’s third largest export earner after remittances and garments. It accounts for around 3 percent of the country’s GDP.

Tourism authorities last week said the industry has seen around 1 percent cancellation though the tourism attractions are opened after the disaster and ready to welcome tourists after the disaster.

Sri Lanka has witnessed 2,153,815 tourists in 2025 through December 8, surpassing the 2024 full year arrival of 2,053,465, official data showed.

Source -ECONOMYNEXT-Tuesday December 9, 2025