Sri Lanka, Aug. 12 -- Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals opened August on a weaker note than a year earlier, with 42,810 visitors recorded between August 1 and 6, down 8 percent from the 46,541 arrivals over the same six days last year, according to data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA).

Average daily arrivals fell to 7,135 from 7,757 a year earlier, extending a slowdown that has left cumulative arrivals down around 2 percent year-on-year since the start of 2026, at 1,386,228 against 1,414,829 in the same window last year.

The soft opening also predates Sri Lanka's biggest seasonal draw of the month which is the Kandy Esala Perahera, scheduled this year for August 18 to 27, with the Kumbal Perahera running August 18-2...