Sri Lanka saw an 11% increase in UK visitors in the first nine months of this year to more than 160,000, and the country is expecting 2025 to be a record year, with a total of three million arrivals from overseas.
Sri Lankan Airlines Regional Manager for Europe and the Americas Chinthaka Weerasinghe said that sales in the UK – Sri Lanka’s second biggest source market after India and one of its most profitable – were up almost 50% during the peak season from December 2025 to March 2026.
“That shows the interest is growing ever so more,” he said. To cater for the increased demand over the winter, the airline has increased to a double daily service at weekends from London Heathrow, and it is looking at going up to 14 flights a week, possibly adding services from London Gatwick and London Stansted.
However, Chinthaka said the airline needs to sell more seats from the UK during the spring and early summer, which is considered to be monsoon season on the southwest coast, but not for the rest of the country.
Speaking at World Travel Market London, he said: “It is a well-known fact that Sri Lanka is a year-round destination, there are no peaks or off-peaks in Sri Lanka, but for some reason, when I look at my flight bookings, when it comes to April, May and June, there is a big dip.
“What we have been doing recently is engaging closer with our tour operator in promoting April to June, because you can get the best flight deals in these months. We need your help to promote this. This is the be the best time to see the east coast, it is the calmest time.”
He went on to say the airline was ‘very, very upbeat’ about 2026, especially as Sri Lanka will host the White Ball cricket series during January and February, followed by the cricket T20 World Cup in February and March.
Already, the Balmy Army specialist travel agency has secured more than 1,000 bookings for fans to travel out to Sri Lanka for the two tournaments.
However, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Buddhika Hewawasam said it needed to spread visitors around the country.
“British tourists are very loyal to Sri Lanka, but what we need right now is for them to go deeper into the experience of Sri Lanka. We need them to visit our wildlife and national parks,” he said.
He also suggested agents could promote wellness breaks in Sri Lanka and ‘spirituality experiences’, along with weddings and honeymoons. “We offer paradise,” he joked.
