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Tourist numbers 2026
How many tourists are coming in 2026? Month by month and country by country. We update it when new numbers come out.
Published 19 October 2026 · Numbers from an SLTDA survey of 11,731 tourists
Most tourists decide late. 63 of every 100 come within one month of choosing Sri Lanka. And almost half book on websites like Booking.com and Agoda. This changes when and where your business needs to be seen.
63%
Travel within a month of choosing Sri Lanka31%
Travel within a week46%
Book mainly on websites like Booking.com38%
Come on a package tourSLTDA, Sri Lanka's tourism authority, asked 11,731 tourists who were leaving Sri Lanka how long it was between choosing Sri Lanka and travelling. The biggest group, 32%, travelled up to one month after choosing. 7% came within one single day. Only 15% planned 4 months or more ahead.
About 2 in 3 tourists under 40 came within a month of choosing. After age 55, more people plan early. About 1 in 4 tourists aged 55 to 69 planned 4 months or more ahead. For tourists aged 25 to 39, it was about 1 in 9.
| Age | Tourists asked | Came within a month | Planned 4+ months ahead |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15–19 | 218 | 65.6% | 15.1% |
| 20–24 | 1,081 | 67.0% | 13.2% |
| 25–29 | 2,334 | 66.3% | 11.1% |
| 30–34 | 1,927 | 67.3% | 11.2% |
| 35–39 | 1,348 | 67.7% | 11.0% |
| 40–44 | 1,079 | 64.3% | 13.3% |
| 45–49 | 788 | 59.8% | 16.6% |
| 50–54 | 785 | 56.3% | 19.2% |
| 55–59 | 670 | 54.8% | 25.4% |
| 60–64 | 669 | 52.5% | 27.2% |
| 65–69 | 457 | 50.3% | 27.6% |
Planning time by age group (SLTDA survey 2024-25)
Booking websites like Booking.com, Agoda, Expedia and Airbnb are the biggest way: 46 of every 100 tourists. A travel agent in the tourist's own country is next (29). 16 booked directly with a hotel in Sri Lanka. Only 6.5 used a travel agent in Sri Lanka. So most trips are arranged before the tourist arrives.
62 of every 100 tourists plan their own trip. 38 buy a package tour. It depends on the country. Package tours are most common for Chinese and Indian tourists, and least common for Dutch and German tourists.
Tourists on a package tour said they spend more each day: about $215 to $240, compared with $142 to $164 for most tourists who plan their own trip. The one exception: tourists who planned their own trip 7 months to a year ahead said they spend about $202 a day.
| Time before travelling | Package tour | Own plan |
|---|---|---|
| Within a day | $238.1 | $163.6 |
| Up to a week | $228.6 | $157.1 |
| Up to a month | $236.1 | $158.6 |
| 2 to 3 months | $214.8 | $147.2 |
| 4 to 6 months | $218.8 | $144.6 |
| 7 months to a year | $224.6 | $201.7 |
| More than a year | $232.2 | $142.2 |
Average spending per day, in US dollars, by time between choosing Sri Lanka and travelling (SLTDA survey 2024-25). This is what tourists said, not a count of money spent.
Be on the big booking websites. Almost half of tourists use them. Most tourists choose late, within a month, so keep your prices and free rooms up to date. The survey does not split planning time by season. But if winter tourists plan like the average tourist, many December bookings are still being decided in November. Also make it easy to book directly with you: 16 of every 100 tourists book straight with the hotel.
Travel agents in the tourists' own countries sell about 29 of every 100 trips. Partners in countries where package tours are common, like China and India, are worth having. Sri Lankan travel agents sell only 6.5 of every 100 trips at first booking. The bigger chance is what tourists need after they arrive: day trips, transport and experiences.
Most tourists decide only weeks before they travel. Tell foreign visitors about your event 1 to 3 months before, and again in the last weeks. Older tourists plan earlier, so tell them first. See when tourists are in the country in our busiest and quietest months calendar, and add your event to Friday.lk Events.
Deciding late is normal. But busy months fill up. For December to March, book your bed and desk early. In the quiet months you can decide later. See hostels, coworking spaces and current deals.
Please write: “Source: Friday.lk analysis of SLTDA data, SLTDA Survey of Departing Foreign Tourists 2024-2025.”
You can use our charts for free if you give credit to Friday.lk and SLTDA. The numbers belong to SLTDA. Download the numbers (they open in Excel): Tourists each month, 2018 to 2026 · Tourists by country, 2026.
All numbers come from SLTDA, Sri Lanka's tourism authority. Here are the reports we used:
SLTDA asked 11,731 tourists who were leaving Sri Lanka at Colombo airport (Bandaranaike International Airport), the main airport, between July 2024 and June 2025. "Time before travelling" means the time between choosing Sri Lanka and travelling. It is not the date of booking. Tourists answered from memory. We worked out the age shares ourselves from SLTDA's tables. The 70 to 74 age row is left out because its numbers did not add up. Package shares only include countries with 250 or more tourists in the survey.
Most decide late. In the SLTDA survey, 63% of tourists travelled within a month of choosing Sri Lanka, and 31% within a week. Only 15% planned 4 months or more ahead.
46% mainly used booking websites like Booking.com, Agoda, Expedia or Airbnb. 29% used a travel agent in their own country. 16% booked directly with a hotel in Sri Lanka, and 6.5% used a travel agent in Sri Lanka.
No. 62% plan their own trip and 38% buy a package tour. Package tours are most common for Chinese and Indian tourists.
Yes. 27% of tourists aged 60 to 64 planned 4 months or more ahead, compared with 11% of tourists aged 25 to 29.
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