Sri Lanka Tourism Alive Despite Ditwah Disaster

Colombo, Dec 3 (PTI) Sri Lankan tourism industry, a major foreign exchange earner, on Wednesday said tourists are safe with free access to all attractions despite the Ditwah-induced disaster and claimed that the services remained uninterrupted on the island nation.

Sri Lanka is a popular tourist destination not just for South Asian travellers but also for high-end European tourists, who prefer the tropical beaches and serendipitous internal locales during peak winters from December to February.

At least 474 people died and 356 remain missing as Sri Lanka grapples with widespread flooding, landslides and severe infrastructure collapse, leaving several districts isolated amid severely strained disaster-response capacity.


However, the tourist industry said despite a few cancellations since the disaster struck the island's tourism industry, “Sri Lanka tourism is well and alive despite the disaster.”

“All tourist attractions are safe and accessible, not hampered by the disaster. We invite tourists to come, we are open, and all facilities are available,” chairman of government tourism promotion 'Buddhika Hewawasam' told reporters here.

Ashoka Hettige, the chairman of the Hoteliers Association said that from the western to the eastern coast, 90 per cent of the hotels have opened. “We had a few cancellations, (but) now they are returning.”

Sri Lanka received an average over 1,75,000 tourists during the first 10 months of 2025, Sri Lanka Tourism Authority data showed.