Maldives targets 2.5 million tourists, 14.5 million bed nights in 2027

The Maldives is targeting 2.5 million tourist arrivals and 14.5 million bed nights in 2027 through activities planned under Visit Maldives Year, Minister of Finance and Public Enterprises Hassan Zareer announced on Thursday.

Presenting the proposed 2027 state budget to Parliament, Zareer said tourism remained the main driver of the Maldivian economy and that the government aimed to increase visitor arrivals, raise tourism revenue and ensure that more Maldivians benefited from the industry.

The minister said the government had designated 2027 as Visit Maldives Year to support these objectives.

According to government projections, approximately 2.28 million tourists are expected to visit the Maldives next year under existing forecasts.

However, the government aims to attract more than 200,000 additional visitors through activities organised as part of Visit Maldives Year, bringing total arrivals to 2.5 million.

The government also forecasts that tourist bed nights will increase to 14.5 million in 2027.

Zareer said achieving these targets would require cooperation between the government and tourism industry stakeholders.

“The Ministry of Tourism, Visit Maldives Corporation, airlines and tourism service providers are working together to strengthen the promotion of the Maldives, attract more tourists during the off-peak season and increase flight frequencies,” he said.

The planned initiatives are intended to increase tourist arrivals throughout the year, including during periods when demand is traditionally lower.

Tourism arrivals affected by Middle East conflict

The government had previously set a target of 2.5 million tourist arrivals for 2026.

However, tourist arrivals slowed following the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East earlier this year.

The government now expects tourist arrivals in 2026 to be no lower than the previous year’s figure.

Approximately 2.2 million tourists visited the Maldives in 2025.

Economic growth projected at up to 6.8% in 2027

The tourism target was announced as part of the government’s proposed MVR 59.7 billion budget for 2027, which is MVR 4.5 billion lower than the budget approved for 2026.

The proposed budget includes MVR 52.6 billion in expenditure, comprising MVR 42.7 billion in recurrent expenditure and MVR 9.9 billion in capital expenditure.

Of the capital expenditure allocation, MVR 8.2 billion has been earmarked for the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP).

The government expects to receive MVR 43.2 billion in revenue and grants during 2027, while MVR 4.5 billion has been allocated for debt repayments.

Zareer said economic growth in 2027 was projected to range between 3.9% and 6.8%, with inflation forecast at 1%.

The government also expects the country’s official reserves to reach USD 907.2 million next year.