Sri Lanka, Oct. 31 -- Sri Lanka's tourism earnings declined by 9.2% during the first nine months of 2026, despite the country welcoming nearly 1.7 million international visitors, according to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

The latest External Sector Performance report revealed that tourism earnings fell to US$ 2.25 billion during January-September 2026, compared to US$ 2.47 billion during the corresponding period last year.

Tourist arrivals also declined by 1.8% during the nine-month period, with Sri Lanka recording 1,693,679 arrivals.

However, the decline in tourism earnings was considerably sharper than the reduction in visitor numbers.

In September alone, Sri Lanka welcomed 158,557 tourists, reflecting a marginal decline of 0.3% co...