What April reveals about Sri Lanka's visitor mix

How does April 2026 compare to earlier years?

April 2026 came in below 2025, 2024, and 2018.

Where does the year break from 2025?

Each month compared with the same month in 2025. January and February ran ahead. March and April fell behind.

Which countries moved most in April?

Each country's April arrivals, compared with 2025. Two were up, seven were down.

Countries shown: top 10 in either April 2025 or April 2026, with figures for both months. Netherlands and Japan are not shown, since each was in only one year's top 10.

And across January to April?

Each country's change from January to April. All 20 countries in SLTDA's list, ranked best to worst. A strong start to the year softens the April drop for some.

All 20 countries in SLTDA's top-20 list for January to April.

Does the pattern match how people fly here?

Change from April 2025. India and China have plenty of direct flights to Sri Lanka. The countries at the bottom have some direct options too, but most travelers from there fly through Gulf hubs (Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi).

Other countries where many travelers go through Gulf hubs are in the chart above: Netherlands, Poland, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain, Czech Republic, and Canada. Russia (mostly charter flights) and Australia (mostly via Singapore) are not shown here.

How has the visitor mix changed?

Each country's share of April arrivals. India alone went from 22% to 31% in a year. The four biggest European countries together dropped from roughly 29% to 21%.

Share of monthly arrivals. Countries shown: top 10 in both April 2025 and April 2026.