The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has released statistics showing that 159,339 foreign tourists visited the country during the first half of February 2026. Impressively, nearly 35,000 tourists arrived during the final weekend of this period.
Breaking down the numbers, 11,201 tourists arrived on Friday, February 13, followed by 12,565 on Saturday, February 14, and 11,113 on Sunday, February 15. This brings the total number of arrivals over the weekend to 34,879.
The India–Pakistan Twenty20 World Cup preliminary round match, held in Colombo on February 15, played a significant role in attracting a large number of visitors, particularly from India. The event led to increased airfares to Sri Lanka and higher hotel room rates in Colombo.
The influx of tourists included several high-net-worth individuals and dignitaries, many of whom arrived by private jets. Reports indicate that 15 private jets landed at Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake over the weekend.
With these latest figures, the total number of tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka for 2026, up to mid-February, has reached 436,666, according to the SLTDA’s latest data.
