Maldives records 1.6 million tourist arrivals

The Maldives recorded 1.6 million tourist arrivals as of Wednesday, according to figures released by the Ministry of Tourism on Thursday.

The government has set a target of 2.3 million visitors for 2025. To reach this goal, 695,587 more tourists must arrive in the remaining three months of the year.

However, the statistics show a decline in daily arrivals this month. Average daily tourist arrivals fell from 6,195 to 4,895 — about 1,300 fewer visitors.

To meet the 2.3 million target, the Maldives would need to attract an average of 7,098 tourists per day over the next 98 days. Historically, even during peak seasons, daily arrivals average around 6,500, making the target difficult to achieve. Based on current trends, the Ministry projects that total arrivals for the year could reach about 2.2 million, approximately 58,500 short of the target.

Tourism arrivals have nonetheless increased by 9.6 percent compared to the same period last year.

Visit Maldives Chairman Abdulla Ghiyas Riyaz said in an interview last month that arrivals would need to grow by 13 percent in the final quarter of the year to reach the target. “Record arrivals will come in four months and we will be able to reach the current target. There should be a 13 percent growth in about four months,” he said.

Tourist arrivals from several major markets have continued to grow:

1. China: 254,950
2. Russia: 194,606
3. United Kingdom: 142,957
4. Germany: 111,569
5. Italy: 111,253

India, which was previously the top source market, has slipped to fifth place. A total of 92,252 Indian tourists visited so far this year, accounting for 5.7 percent of total arrivals, against a target of 200,000.