The government had failed to achieve its target of attracting three million tourists this year, Kandy District SJB MP Chamindrani Kiriella told Parliament yesterday.
Participating in the third reading stage debate on Budget 2026, Kiriella said only 1.9 million visitors had arrived so far, raising questions about whether the tourism sector was receiving the attention it required.
She pointed out that other countries had successfully expanded tourism through sustained global marketing drives, often doubling or tripling arrival numbers, while Sri Lanka had yet to mount a comparable campaign.
The MP said private hotel operators were increasingly frustrated by the lack of effective promotion, noting that the industry traditionally sees its highest influx during November and December.
Despite 32,000 arrivals recorded this month, she warned that the country remained nowhere close to the government’s ambitious target.
Kiriella also reminded the House that Sri Lanka had welcomed five million tourists in 2018, underscoring the gap between past performance and the current trajectory.
By Saman Indrajith
