The Sri Lankan Government is targeting four million tourist arrivals annually and US$8 billion in annual tourism revenue by 2030, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya says.
Speaking at an event marking World Tourism Day 2026, the Prime Minister said the Government intends to expand the tourism sector while seeking to ensure that its economic benefits reach local communities.
2030 targets
The Prime Minister cited Sri Lanka's recent tourism performance while setting out the longer-term targets.
According to figures cited in her address:
- approximately 2.05 million tourists visited Sri Lanka in 2024, generating about US$3.17 billion;
- tourist arrivals increased to 2,362,521 in 2025;
- tourism generated approximately US$3.22 billion in foreign-exchange earnings in 2025.
Against that background, the Government aims by 2030 to reach:
- 4 million tourist arrivals annually
- US$8 billion in annual tourism revenue
Targets are not forecasts
The 2030 figures are Government policy targets.
They should not be presented as forecasts, guaranteed outcomes or projections that Sri Lanka will necessarily achieve.
Actual arrivals and tourism earnings will depend on economic conditions, international travel demand, connectivity, investment, domestic capacity and other factors.
Sustainable tourism
The Prime Minister also emphasised environmentally sustainable tourism, protection of Sri Lanka's cultural heritage and wider distribution of tourism benefits.
She said small-scale entrepreneurs and communities should benefit from tourism-sector growth.
Distinct from WEF ranking story
This is separate from Sineth News' recently published report on Sri Lanka's performance in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index.
The WEF article concerns Sri Lanka's improvement in an international tourism-development index.
This article concerns the Government's 2030 policy targets for tourist arrivals and tourism revenue.
Do not merge the two stories.