Sri Lanka received 2,234 tourists from Israel between November 1 and December 22, despite warnings of a potential attack targeting the Eastern coastal hotspot of Arugam Bay, where many Israeli tourists gather, official government data revealed.
The total number of Israeli tourists increased to 24,147 as of December 22, up from 21,913 on October 31. This marks a significant rise compared to the 19,517 Israeli visitors recorded last year.
On October 23, Israel issued a travel advisory urging its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Sri Lanka, leave coastal tourist areas like Arugam Bay, and avoid visible signs of Hebrew. This followed a U.S. embassy warning about credible intelligence of a possible attack in the area. Seven countries, including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Russia, also issued travel advisories in response to alerts from multiple foreign intelligence agencies.
The Sri Lankan government acted swiftly to tighten security in the affected areas, leading to the withdrawal of the travel advisories. Cabinet spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa reassured on December 24 that the safety of tourists has been ensured. Authorities are still investigating the potential terror plot, with six suspects, including a Maldivian, currently under arrest.
Tourism operators expressed concerns about cancellations following the advisories, fearing disruptions to Sri Lanka’s recovery from its 2022 economic crisis, which included a sovereign debt default. Tourism has been a key pillar of the island’s economic recovery.
Sri Lanka, however, is likely to fall short of its 2.3 million tourist target for 2024, with arrivals expected to reach around 2 million, according to industry analysts. As of December 22, 1.97 million tourists had visited the country, surpassing last year’s total of 1,487,303.
India remains the largest source of tourists, accounting for 20% of arrivals in 2024, followed by Russia at 9.6%. Visitors from the seven countries that issued advisories constituted 29% of Sri Lanka’s 1.48 million arrivals in the first nine months of the year.
