Sri Lanka is stepping up its efforts to attract tourists from Keralam, following a surge in Indian arrivals to the island nation, which crossed 5.3 lakh in 2025, making India its largest source market.
As many as 531,511 Indian tourists visited Sri Lanka last year. By October 22, 2026, the country had received 482,944 Indian visitors, accounting for 26.6 per cent of its total international tourist arrivals.
As part of its efforts to tap the growing market, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) organised business-to-business (B2B) meetings in Kochi, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram, bringing Sri Lankan tourism representatives together with travel professionals and the media.
The programme featured trade interactions, destination presentations and networking sessions, aimed at developing travel itineraries and strengthening business partnerships.
“India is a key market for Sri Lanka, and direct engagement with regional travel trade partners can help create more opportunities for visitors,” said Sanjaya Niroshana, Managing Director of SLTPB.
The presentations showcased Sri Lanka’s beaches, wildlife, cultural heritage, wellness and adventure tourism offerings, besides highlighting its air connectivity with India. SriLankan Airlines cited 89 weekly flights in its airline-frequency figures.
Air connectivity supports convenient travel between India and Sri Lanka and enables travel operators to develop packages catering to different traveller interests, said Fawzan Fareid, Regional Manager for India, Bangladesh and Nepal at SriLankan Airlines.
Shirani Herath, Assistant Director of SLTPB, said the three-city outreach was aimed at strengthening destination awareness and expanding cooperation with Keralam’s travel trade.
Published on November 4, 2026
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