🇱🇰 Poor Tourist? Or Poor Data?

There have been multiple reports claiming that, although tourist arrivals are increasing, tourists are spending less. But is that really the case?

Average daily tourist spending:

2018: US$178
2025: US$148

⭕ For years, Sri Lanka believed that the average tourist spent around US$178 per day.

⭕ However, many people within the industry questioned the reliability of this figure. It came from an airport survey that reportedly overrepresented European 🇪🇺 tourists, underrepresented major markets such as India 🇮🇳 and China 🇨🇳, and even included some transit passengers.

⭕ To produce a more accurate estimate, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority partnered with Australia’s Market Development Facility. The new study was conducted over 12 months and surveyed 11,731 tourists, using stratified random sampling across all major tourism markets.

The result was US$148 per day.

⭕ Sri Lanka has replaced an unreliable estimate with a figure that is closer to tourists’ actual spending. That is the real reason behind the lower reported spending figure.

#SriLanka #Tourism