A decision has been made to expand the number of immigration counters in order to cater to increased tourist arrivals, according to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, CAA Director General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Sagara Kotakadeniya stated that considering the increased number of tourist arrivals to the island, a decision had been made on Wednesday (18) to expand the number of immigration counters in order to facilitate the arrival process of tourists.
“We are trying to expand the number of immigration counters in order to facilitate the increased inflow of passengers and ease congestion upon arrival,” he stated.
Commenting on the dire need for this move, he noted: “This is the point of welcome. Whenever you travel to a different country, the first impression is at the airport. Therefore, we have identified that we need to expand the number of immigration counters.”
He added that the airport’s internal arrangements would also be restructured in the next couple of months in order to streamline the immigration process for tourists arriving in Sri Lanka.
Kotakadeniya further revealed that they were also considering streamlining the departure process for tourists by setting up a dedicated area for self check-in kiosks with a separate emigration counter.
“The suggestion is to have a separate counter for kiosk machines in order to release passengers from that gate,” he said.
However, he stressed that no decision had been made yet regarding this proposal.
According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), the tourism sector experienced a remarkable resurgence in 2025, with over 1.05 million international arrivals recorded by April, driven largely by a significant influx of visitors from India, Russia, and the UK.
This surge in tourism is spearheaded by a steady influx of visitors from India, which continues to dominate the ranks, with 210,074 Indian nationals contributing the highest number of arrivals.
Other major contributors include Russia, with 110,818 visitors, and the UK, accounting for 98,158 tourists.
As the momentum from the early part of the year carried into May, Sri Lanka witnessed 132,919 foreign arrivals, marking an impressive 18.5% increase compared to May 2024.
This upward trajectory is further highlighted by early June’s figures, with 21,293 tourists arriving in just five days.
