Sri Lanka is a popular tourist destination. Tourism is a key industry that attracts international tourists yearly. Foreigners visit Sri Lanka to see nature, wildlife, historical monuments, and indigenous culture. In 2018, tourist arrivals peaked at 2.5 million, who spent a total of US$5.6 billion in the country. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused tourist numbers to decrease by 92% in 2020. As of 2022, tourist numbers have not rebounded from the pre-crisis high. The government is attempting to attract foreign investment in the country's tourism industry, which began in earnest after the end of theSri Lankan Civil War in 2009.^[1]

Thegovernment initiatives in the development of tourism date back to 1937 when the Ceylon Tourist Bureau was established.^[2] However, it was closed down in September 1939 due toWorld War II. After Sri Lanka'sindependence the promotion of tourism was again considered by re-establishing the Ceylon Tourist Board which took over the function of the Tourist Bureau.

In 1965,J. R. Jayewardene asMinister of State initiated the first major development of the tourism industry with the Ceylon Tourist Board Act No 10 of 1966 and theCeylon Hotels Corporation Act No 14 of 1966, which formed the Ceylon Tourist Board and the Ceylon Hotels Corporation. Since then the Ceylon Tourist Board has functioned as the state agency, responsible for the development and promotion of the tourism sector in Sri Lanka. Ceylon Hotels Corporation paved the way for government investments to build hotels needed to attract tourists.^[3]

In October 2007 according to Section 2 of the Tourism Act No. 38 of 2005, the Sri Lanka Tourist Board (Act No 10 of 1966) was replaced by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA).^[4]

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority has classified Sri Lanka into several resort regions suitable for tourism development:^[5]

• Colombo and Greater Colombo Resort Region: The Colombo and Greater Colombo Resort Region spreads along theMount Lavinia in the south toNegombo in the north.Colombo city is the main part of the zone and is the centre for business activities, conferences and sports events in the country. Colombo serves as both a gateway and a stopover point for international tourists.
• South Coast Resort Region: The south coast zone extends fromWadduwa toTissamaharama. The zone has been divided into two main regions. The first region extends from Wadduwa toGalle. Coastal areas likeKalutara,Beruwala,Bentota, Dedduwa,Madu Ganga,Balapitiya,Ahungalla, andHikkaduwa are included in this region. The second region, extending from Galle to Tissamaharama, includesUnawatuna,Koggala,Weligama,Mirissa,Matara,Tangalle andHambantota areas as sub-points of the zone.
• East Coast Resort Region: The East Coast Resort Region extends fromKuchchaveli in the north toPottuvil in the south. The main tourism zones in this region areArugam Bay,Pasikudah,Trincomalee andNilaveli.
• West Coast Resort Region: The West Coast Resort Region extends alongKalpitiya,Marawila and Waikkala areas.
• High Country Resort Region:Nuwara Eliya,Bandarawela andMaskeliya are included for the High Country Resort Region.
• Ancient Cities Resort Region: This region has five world heritage sites, namelyAnuradhapura,Dambulla,Kandy,Polonnaruwa andSigiriya. Other regions includeHabarana,Giritale,Matale and Victoria.
• Other Resort Regions: This includesYala,Udawalawa,Wasgamuwa,Pinnawala, andRatnapura,Knuckles Range area.

In the past, ferry services between India and Sri Lanka for tourists have been introduced and suspended repeatedly because of their low usage.^[6] The low usage of the old ferry services could be due to the high cost of the former services.^[7] As of now, the only way for tourists to access India from Sri Lanka is by air. In 2019 negotiations about ferry services between Colombo and Tuticorin and between Talaimannar and Rameshwaram began. There is also a proposal to operate a cruise/ferry service between Colombo and Kochi in Kerala. The Indian and Sri Lankan governments are working closely together to connect the two neighbouring countries better.^[8] The Sri Lankan minister of Tourism Development John Amaratunga indicated that ferry service will help tourists from both sides to travel at a very low cost.^[9]

Yearly overseas tourist arrivals in thousands^[10][11]

When the government decided to develop the tourism sector as a separate sector of the country's economy by establishing the Ceylon Tourist Bureau in 1966, there were 18,969 foreign tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka. There was an upward trend of tourist arrivals until 1982, with the exception of 1971. Between 1976 and 1982, tourist arrivals had increased by 24% per year. The tourist traffic in 1982 showed that there was a remarkable growth in the number of tourists, with 407,230 arrivals.^[12] However, with the beginning of thecivil war in 1983, the growth of tourist arrivals declined and stagnated to around 300,000 – 500,000 arrivals annually.

The civil war that had lasted over 25 years ended in 2009 asLTTE separatists were defeated by government forces. In 2009 the tourist arrivals numbered 448,000, and in 2015, 1,798,380, showing over 300% growth in six years.^[13]

There is a significant domestic tourist segment, most commonly for family holidays, pilgrimages, and general sightseeing.^{[citation needed]} In 2014 six million Sri Lankans travelled within the country as domestic tourists.^[14] The main destinations of domestic tourists areAnuradhapura,Kataragama,Nuwara Eliya,Kandy,Sri Pada,Polonnaruwa,Sigiriya andDambulla. Domestic tourism is noticeable during school vacations and on weekends.

Sri Lanka reopened for tourism in January 2021 under a health protocol involving pre-flight and post-arrival tests for Coronavirus.^[17] Tourists could visit a series of designated locations under 'bio bubble' concept avoiding contact with locals and stay at a number of certified hotels.^[18] An updated list was made available at the Sri Lanka Tourism promotion authority website section 'Hello Again'.^[19] Prior to the official opening, a controversy erupted over tourists brought from Ukraine by a former Ambassador to Russia, where health protocols were breached. It was later described as a pilot project.^[20] The first tourists after the COVID-19 closure arrived in Ukraine's SkyUp Airlines at Mattala Airport on December 28 as part of the so-called pilot project.^[21] In January and February 2021 Sri Lanka welcomed 5,048 tourists, down from 435,941 in 2020, before airports closed in March.^[22]

Most visitors arriving in Sri Lanka on a short-term basis were from the following countries:^[23][24][16]

Foreign visitors to Sri Lanka

Country	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
India	279,122	416,974	302,844	123,004	56,268	89,357	355,002
Russia	115,470	201,920	197,498	91,272	16,984	49,397	86,549
United Kingdom	131,377	178,339	130,088	85,187	16,646	55,455	198,776
Germany	85,144	136,084	102,539	55,542	12,442	34,507	134,899
France	72,516	88,775	56,251	35,482	6,549	24,838	87,623
China[25]	78,769	131,681	68,789	4,715	2,417	26,147	167,863
Australia	60,442	89,573	67,436	30,924	4,421	20,283	92,674
Poland	29,548	44,165	17,946	15,195	2,110	11,908	20,896
United States	39,635	59,532	46,344	22,230	6,124	16,842	68,832
Netherlands	41,695	50,116	29,056	11,987	2,422	8,656	38,993
Bangladesh	36,411	39,555	17,846	3,817	1,496	1,986	8,261
Canada	29,578	42,212	43,944	26,845	5,079	12,346	48,729
Italy	24,443	38,709	22,242	7,449	1,309	8,603	36,147
Japan	19,535	30,429	19,583	3,087	392	6,644	30,079
Switzerland	20,572	29,829	23,556	13,260	2,974	6,389	29,981
Czech Republic	8,390	19,279	12,056	7,350	1,864	7,599	19,204
Maldives	21,208	47,222	37,298	18,880	6,272	9,407	60,278
Spain	20,752	37,928	23,905	12,895	2,015	3,385	24,489
Israel	13,014	24,845	19,517	9,326	1,724	3,556	14,770
Kazakhstan	7,286	11,383	5,130	8,068	5,754	2,333	2,399
Austria	6,888	17,103	10,594	5,541	1,502	4,300	14,713
Denmark	6,834	14,952	10,346	7,278	1,302	4,905	16,869
Malaysia	5,796	18,259	10,940	2,779	323	3,494	16,861
Sweden	5,485	13,413	8,643	5,097	1,601	7,061	22,464
Belgium	13,275	17,219	10,667	6,164	1,283	3,371	14,948
Iran	5,196	10,858	10,322	4,301	397	648	3,249
Belarus	4,762	10,933	10,969	3,621	646	2,638	4,796
South Korea	4,583	10,800	7,298	1,843	389	2,499	12,195
Ukraine	4,378	7,099	5,082	14,917	7,037	17,169	35,051
Lithuania	4,256	6,395	2,722	2,115	383	1,054	2,793
Norway	4,025	11,399	8,747	5,983	1,141	3,019	13,446
Pakistan	14,255	13,451	10,744	6,260	7,520	3,065	14,655
Ireland	3,292	8,747	5,136	3,056	559	2,294	8,254
Singapore	3,261	12,591	9,551	3,770	557	2,545	13,871
Hungary	3,172	6,580	3,786	2,324	445	1,588	4,091
Slovakia	3,158	6,710	4,464	2,432	664	1,513	4,944
Turkey	2,872	6,673	3,739	1,514	309	2,121	4,972
New Zealand	2,703	11,282	7,913	2,866	325	2,324	12,463
Estonia	2,606	3,800	1,808	978	376	1,185	2,516
Romania	2,542	6,407	4,092	3,313	820	1,724	5,463
Portugal	2,364	6,489	3,943	1,906	372	1,602	5,193
Thailand	2,247	7,246	4,922	1,725	247	1,880	9,861
Finland	2,050	4,276	2,287	1,500	341	2,298	7,028
South Africa	1,427	4,872	3,444	1,502	272	1,364	7,132
Slovenia	1,408	3,477	1,927	602	91	800	2,926
Philippines	1,390	5,267	4,164	1,961	529	4,249	14,590
Nepal	1,370	4,463	4,750	1,065	325	1,384	5,414
Egypt	1,102	4,069	3,091	2,340	400	956	3,708
Saudi Arabia	1,046	5,887	6,797	5,952	1,596	4,755	15,707
Lebanon	976	3,438	3,347	1,606	547	483	4,304
Total	1,368,288	2,053,465	1,487,303	719,978	194,495	507,704	1,913,702

Tourist attractions are classifiable as natural or anthropogenic. Natural attractions include nature spots, flora and fauna, and places with a pleasant climate.Geotourism sites may also be included in this category. Anthropogenic attractions includearchaeological andcultural attractions,historical and religion sites, performing arts andfolklore,handicrafts and artifacts.

Yala National Park has the world's highest concentration ofleopards per square kilometer.^[26]

The world's largest gathering of wild Asian elephants atMinneriya park is commonly known asThe Gathering.^[27][28][29]

Despite its small size, Sri Lanka possesses a high level of biodiversity andwildlife resources and is rated among the 34biodiversity hotspots in the world.^[30] Many species of flora and fauna are indigenous to Sri Lanka. This has made the island a country with the highest rates of biological endemism in the world.

Forbes ranked Sri Lanka as one of top wildlife safaris outside of Africa,^[31] due to the actual presence of fivecharismatic megafauna(The Big Five) and the relative ease of seeing them during a single tour itinerary.^[32] The Leopard, the Asian elephant andSloth Bear are found in several national parks. TheYala National Park has one of the highest concentrations of leopards in the world. Wildlife photographer and author Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne has shown that Sri Lanka is the best place in the world to spotBlue whales. A narrow continental shelf offMirissa, Sri Lanka allows Blue and Sperm whales to swim close to the shore.^[33] Seasonally, the largest gathering of Asian elephants numbering 200-300 or higher takes place at theMinneriya National Park.^[34]

Thirteen percent of Sri Lanka's land surface has been designated as Wildlife Protected Areas (WLPAs), which at present exceed a total area of 8,500 km² (3,282 sq mi).^[35] Approximately 7% of the area is national parks, the areas allowed for the public to see and study wildlife. Sri Lanka's national parks have become popular tourist destinations.

Sri Lanka possesses nearly 1,600 km (994 mi) coastlines with tropical beaches which are popular among both local and foreign tourists.^[38] Most of the coastlines of the country are studded with varying coastal features such asbays,lagoons,sandbanks, and rocky headlands. Marine recreation activities, such as sea bathing andswimming,surfing,boating, snorkelling, deep-sea fishing, underwater photography, andscuba diving, can be seen at most of these beaches and related resort areas. Beaches atTangalle,Beruwala,Mirissa,Bentota,Unawatuna,Arugam Bay,Pasikudah,Hikkaduwa,Uppuveli andNegombo are considered as famous tourist beaches in the country.Coconut Tree Hill is a popular tourist attraction in Mirissa Beach and one of the most Instagrammed locations in Sri Lanka.^[39]

Sri Lanka has numerous tourist attractions with areas of natural scenic beauty, primarily including mountainous terrains, agricultural landscapes,waterfalls, places with diverse climatic conditions,reservoirs (wewas), andrivers.

The country has sixbotanical gardens and fourZoological gardens. The botanical gardens are maintained by the Department of National Botanical Gardens,^[40] and the zoological gardens are maintained by the Department of National Zoological Gardens.^[41] The gardens have become attractive places among local and foreign visitors.

Sri Lanka is home to 26 endemic-bird species and seven proposed endemic species. The total number of bird species recorded in the island is 492 of which 219 are breeding residents.Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka, commonly abbreviatedFOGSL, is theSri Lankan affiliate ofBirdLife International. It was founded in 1976 to promote theconservation of birds and preservation of theenvironment. FOGSL headquarters are situated in the Department of Zoology, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Identifying and proposingImportant Bird Areas (IBAs) in Sri Lanka is one of the main activities of the group.^[42] From 2008, Field Ornithology Group conducts abird count in December in the lines ofChristmas Bird Count by theNational Audubon Society of theUnited States.^[43] Sri Lanka's location at the tip of theIndian subcontinent has made the island a termination point in the north–south bird migratory route.^[44]

The small grants programme of theUnited Nations Development Programme granted the Field Ornithology GroupUS$20,308.00 for printing of selected publications and other activities.^[45] As part of their educational programmes, Field Ornithology Group has published many books and posters, not only on birds but also mammals and wetlands.^[46] The FOGSL also publish twoperiodicals,Kedetta in Sinhala andMalkoha in English.

Heritage tourism involves visiting historical sites. Sri Lanka is very rich inpre-historic,proto-historic, andhistoric monuments, which bespeak its ancient civilization and culture. MainlyBuddhism has influenced in the moulding of the cultural heritage of the country. The historic period of Sri Lanka proper starts circa 236 B.C. with the introduction of Buddhism to the country by the missionaries sent by theIndian empireAsoka.

TheUNESCO has declared sixarchaeological and twoecologicalWorld Heritage Sites in the country.^[48] Beside the world heritage sites thegovernment of Sri Lanka has declared a number of archaeological protected sites and monuments within the country.

Sri Lanka is well known for its rich Buddhist culture as well as other religions. Being a religious country, Sri Lanka has many places with religious and historic significance, which attract tourists from all over the world.Anuradhapura,Temple of the Tooth,Adam's Peak,Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu andKataragama, are a few famous religious sites on the island that attract a large number of tourists.

The foot pilgrimage calledPada Yatra, which is one of Sri Lanka's oldest traditions, has been practised for centuries, where the local people fromJaffna come along the East Coast toKataragama shrine.^[49]

Sports tourism is defined as either people being involved in, observing or participating in a particular sporting event for leisure.^[50] Sri Lanka is also a destination for sports such ascricket,rugby,golf andsurfing. Except for cricket, the contribution to the tourism sector from other sports is still at a very low level. Apart from mainstream sports events, adventure sports are also included in sports tourism.Trekking,hiking,diving,rock climbing,deep sea fishing,whale watching,kitesurfing andhot air ballooning are some of the adventure sports those can be found in Sri Lanka.^[51][52]

Cultural tourism includes tourism in urban areas, particularly historic or large cities and their cultural facilities such asmuseums andtheatres.

Museums and theatres – Currently four national museums^[54] and 26 archaeological museums^[55] have been established in Sri Lanka. National museums are maintained by theDepartment of National Museums and archaeological museums by theDepartment of Archaeology. Besides the museums, a large number of theatres also can be found in Sri Lanka.

Festivals – Sri Lanka is a multi-cultural country with several different festivals celebrated by various communities. TheKandy Esala Perahera,Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations,Vesak Festival,Christmas,Ramadan festival,Thai Pongal, and theGalle Literary Festival are a few of the major festivals.

Performing arts – There are three maintraditional dance forms in Sri Lanka:Kandyan dancing, low country dancing, and Sabaragamuwa dancing. Though not unique to Sri Lanka, 'Bharatanatyam', which originated from India is also popular in Sri Lanka, particularly among the Tamil community.

Food – The cuisine of Sri Lanka has been influenced by many historical, cultural, and other factors.Rice is the main staple diet of the country. Other staples includehoppers,string hoppers, andpittu.^[56]

Being one of the largest producers oftea in the world Sri Lanka is best known for the production of unorthodox tea. Tea was introduced to the country by the British who called the country "Ceylon". PureCeylon tea is considered some of the finest tea produced anywhere in the world.

Handicrafts – Handicrafts available in Sri Lanka includewood carving, silverware, brass castings, ceramic ware, bamboo products, pottery,batiks, lace works, cane works, costume jewellery,lacquerware, wooden masks, coir goods, handlooms, and ivory products.

Tourist accommodations in Sri Lanka consist ofgraded hotels, supplementary establishments, guest houses and limited-scale camping sites. More informal accommodation is available on a paying guest system in private houses and hill-country tea estate bungalows.

The tourist industry makes a significant contribution to the national economy by directly contributing to the government budget, foreign exchange earnings and employment generation. It contributes both directly and indirectly, in the provision of goods and services to the tourist sector.

Year	Total Revenue of Tourism Industry( million. US$)[57][58][59]
2015	$2,980
2016	$3,518
2017	$3,924
2018	$4,380
2019	$3,606
2020	$682
2021	$506
2022	$1,256
2023	$2,068
2024	$3,170

Tourism in Sri Lanka, despite its generated income into the economy, had received some critics. The high biodiversity of Sri Lanka seems to be threatened by the development of mass tourism which has already affected several natural reserves. Some endangered animal species seem to be seriously threatened by the rise of tourism in some areas; that is the case with the Kirthisinghe's Rock Frog, which is endemic in Sri Lanka.^[60]

An alternative kind of tourism, calledecotourism,sustainable tourism or responsible tourism, enables travellers to participate in tourism throughout Sri Lanka while contributing to the well-being of the local communities and making sure their environmental impact is limited.^[61] TheSri Lanka Ecotourism Foundation is the national organization that created an official ecotourism network through the island, allowing to develop sustainable tourism with wide options of travel. In 2010, the foundation won the presidential award for "Outstanding Contribution to Tourism in Sri Lanka".^[62]

This section may contain informationnotimportant or relevant to the article's subject. Please helpimprove this section.(September 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Elephant trekking, or elephant riding is a significant attraction for tourists coming to visit Sri Lanka. It is traditionally seen as a way of getting closer to nature, often taking place insanctuaries and orphanages.^[63] The largest orphanage in Sri Lanka isPinnawala, which, as of 2023, houses more than 90 elephants.

Since their wild instincts remain, elephants must be broken and controlled to be able to work, be around humans, and give rides.^[64] One of the traditional methods used by thetourism industry is the 'phajaan', also known aselephant crushing or 'breaking the elephant's spirit'.^[65] A report byBorn Free in 2007 into Pinnawala, revealed questionableanimal welfare standards including: chaining male elephants during 'musth' causing wounds to the legs and training elephants with the threat of pain from an 'ankus'.^[66]

During elephant trekking experiences, other concerns include the use ofhowdahs, which combined with the weight of a tourist, can cause agonising and permanentspinal damage.^[67] Additionally, high tourist demand for elephant trekking means that elephants may also be forced to work long hours in hot and humid conditions.^[68]

In September 2021, the Sri Lankan government introduced new animal protection laws. These measures included strict regulation around working with elephants, mandated daily two-and-a-half-hour bath for each animal, required all animals to have new photo identity cards, and to have a medical check-up every six months, among other provisions. Those who fail to comply could be charged with three years inprison, with their elephants taken into state care.^[69]

However, pundits argued that the law had loopholes which could still be exploited.^[70] According to the former president of theWildlife and Nature Protection Society, Rukshan Jayawardena, the law[legitimised] the ownership of 30 to 40 elephant that were kidnapped from the wild, mostly between 2010 and 2015.^[71]

Whilst there has been sufficient local legislation to stop the illegal capture and trade ofAsian Elephants in Sri Lanka, research has found that effort to stop these illicit activities have been hampered due tocorruption among wildlife officers, politicians, clergymen and military personnel.^[72]

• Economy of Sri Lanka
• Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report
• Visa policy of Sri Lanka
• World Tourism Organization
• World Travel Monitor
• Sri Lanka portal

Wikivoyage has a travel guide forSri Lanka.

• Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority

Wikimedia Commons has media related toTourism in Sri Lanka.

• Tourism in Sri Lanka

• Pages using the EasyTimeline extension
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from February 2024
• Commons category link from Wikidata