The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) reported that 159,339 foreign tourists arrived in the country during the first 15 days of February 2026, according to its latest statistics.

Notably, nearly 35,000 tourists arrived over the final weekend of the period.

Specifically, 11,201 tourists arrived on Friday (February 13), 12,565 on Saturday (February 14), and 11,113 on Sunday (February 15) — bringing the weekend total to 34,879 arrivals.

The India–Pakistan Twenty20 World Cup preliminary round match held in Colombo on February 15 drew significant attention, with a large number of visitors — particularly from India — travelling to Sri Lanka to attend the match.

As a result, airfares to Sri Lanka and hotel room rates in Colombo rose during the period. A number of high-net-worth individuals and dignitaries were also among the visitors, many arriving on private jets.

According to reports, 15 private jets landed at Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake over the same weekend.

With these arrivals, total tourist inflows for 2026 up to mid-February reached 436,666, based on the latest SLTDA data.