Sri Lanka Tourism attends ATM Dubai 2026

The Gulf matters on two fronts: as a direct source market and as a transit corridor for long-haul arrivals via Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. That dependence showed in March 2026, when arrivals fell 19.7% year on year to 183,979 as regional airspace disruption hit Gulf routings.

From 1 January to 27 August 2026, Sri Lanka welcomed more than 1.51 million international visitors, marginally behind the 1.54 million recorded in the same period of 2025, and below the full-year target of 2.7 million. India leads source markets, followed by the UK, China, Australia and the Netherlands. With the peak fourth quarter approaching, ATM lands at a commercially significant moment.