Maldives tourist arrivals fall 4% amid flight disruptions
Tourist arrivals to the Maldives have declined by 4 per cent so far this year, according to data released by the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation Maldives.
As of 22 May, total arrivals reached 758,753, compared to 791,368 recorded during the same period last year. The data shows an average of 6,775 arrivals per day.
The decline comes amid disruptions to air travel linked to the situation in the Middle East. Several airlines in the region have reduced flight frequencies or suspended operations. A large share of travellers from Europe and the United States use Middle Eastern carriers to reach the Maldives.
Between 1 May and 22 May, arrivals totalled 110,178, marking a 26.9 per cent decrease compared to 150,808 arrivals during the same period last year.
China remains the largest source market with 111,380 visitors, accounting for 15 per cent of total arrivals. Russia follows with 95,645 arrivals (12.9 per cent), while the United Kingdom recorded 70,288 arrivals (9.4 per cent). Italy contributed 63,144 visitors (8.5 per cent), and Germany 51,113 visitors (6.9 per cent).
Data from the Ministry indicates that more than 40 international airlines were operating flights to the Maldives by the end of last month.
The government has set a target of 2.5 million tourist arrivals for the year. Current trends indicate that the target may be affected by changes in air travel patterns.
