Tourist arrivals to Maldives rise 10% in early 2026

A total of 129,000 tourists have arrived in the Maldives so far this year, representing a 10 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Tourism.

The ministry said tourist arrivals rose by 10 per cent from the corresponding period in the previous year, when 117,000 tourists visited the country. It said this was the highest growth recorded in tourist arrivals over the past two years.

Russia accounted for the largest number of arrivals so far this year, with about 20,000 tourists visiting the Maldives from the country. Italy was the second largest source market, with around 15,000 arrivals.

The United Kingdom ranked third, with 11,000 tourists, while China was the fourth largest source market, with 8,000 arrivals.

The ministry said that an average of 7,100 tourists have been arriving in the Maldives each day this year. It added that 69 per cent of visitors spent their holidays in resorts.

At the end of last year, a total of 2.25 million tourists visited the Maldives. This was around 500,000 fewer than the initial projection for the year.

Photo: Dhauru/Next Media Group