Tourism Dy Minister clarifies Minister Vijitha Herath’s statement on tourism earnings

Deputy Minister of Tourism Ruwan Ranasingha has provided clarification regarding a statement made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism, Vijitha Herath who claimed that an income of USD 3.7 billion had been earned from tourist arrivals since January 1, 2025.

Deputy Minister Ranasingha stated that, according to the report issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), the income earned from tourism as of the end of June has been recorded as USD 1.7 billion.

However, he noted that the data for July is not yet included, and added that he does not believe such a high income as claimed by the Subject Minister would have been generated in the month of July alone.

Further commenting, Deputy Minister of Tourism Ruwan Ranasingha stated:

“I believe the Central Bank data we have only goes up to the end of June. The calculations for July have not been included. Accordingly, the Central Bank report states that by the end of June, Sri Lanka’s tourism earnings stood at USD 1.7 billion. That is the accurate data… There is a significant discrepancy between the Minister’s statement and the actual data, and I personally don’t think we would have earned that much in July alone.”

While addressing an event in Nuwara Eliya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism Vijitha Herath claimed that an income of USD 3.7 billion has been generated from tourist arrivals since January.

He added that another USD 3.7 billion in revenue is expected by the end of the year.

Minister Herath also said that the government aims to bring in three million tourists this year and is making good progress towards that goal.