Tourism & Leisure
300% YoY growth in arrivals
$ 181 Foreign exchange receipts per tourist per day
400K Total employment generation
192 BOI Enterprises
Blessed with natural and cultural endowments throughout the island, Sri Lanka is home to a rich and diverse Tourism & Leisure industry which is the economy’s third largest foreign exchange earner. Accordingly, the government has positioned tourism as a central pillar of the economy which is poised for resurgence in the wake of increasing tourist arrivals with a focus on investments that provide world-class visitor experiences in established sub-sectors and new offerings.
Potential areas for investment
- Tourist Accommodation & Services (Hotels, Transit Hotels, Resorts, Villas, Higher-end restaurants, Convention Centres, MICE Tourism, Wellness Tourism)
- Leisure & Recreational (Golf Course, Entertainment Complexes, Theme Parks, Tourist
- Shopping Complexes, Eco-Lodges, Camping, Whale & Dolphin Watching, water Sports)
- Adventure & Eco Tourism (Adventure parks)
- Transportation (Yacht Marina, Coastal Ferry Services, Cruise Lines)
- Skill Development: Hotel / Hospitality Training Institutes
Global players in Sri Lanka
![6](https://investsrilanka.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/6-4.jpg)
![4](https://investsrilanka.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/4-4.jpg)
![10](https://investsrilanka.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/10-2.jpg)
![11](https://investsrilanka.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/11-2.jpg)
![9](https://investsrilanka.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/9-2.jpg)
![8](https://investsrilanka.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/8-2.jpg)
![5](https://investsrilanka.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/5-4.jpg)
![12](https://investsrilanka.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/12-2.jpg)
![7](https://investsrilanka.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/7-2.jpg)
Global Rankings
![](https://investsrilanka.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/17th-–-Top-20-Places-to-Travel-Readers-Choice-Awards-by-Conde-Nast-Traveller-–-2022-768x143.png)
![](https://investsrilanka.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Sri-Lanka-Ranked-as-9th-–-Most-friendliest-country-in-the-world-by-Conde-Nast-Traveler-2022-768x143.png)
![](https://investsrilanka.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/12th-–-The-worlds-safest-countries-to-travel-to-WorldPackers.com-–-2022-768x143.png)
![](https://investsrilanka.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2nd-–-The-safest-cities-for-women-travelling-alone-Women-Solo-Travel-Index-–-2022-768x143.png)
![](https://investsrilanka.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Top-25-–-Among-the-Top-25-islands-by-Readers-of-Travel-Leisure-Magazine-–-2021.png)
![](https://investsrilanka.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Wanderlust-New-1.png)
![](https://investsrilanka.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Travel-Leisure-New-2.png)
![](https://investsrilanka.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Global-Welness-New-3.png)
![](https://investsrilanka.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Award-1-New-CNN.png)
Tourists Arrivals (Mn) (2011 - 2023 March)
Source : SLTDA
Tourist arrivals by purpose of visit, December 2022
Source : SLTDA
Number of Establishments
Source : SLTDA
Distribution of employment in the tourism industry -2021
Source : SLTDA