Spanish visitor becomes Maldives’ one millionth tourist this year
The Maldives welcomed its one millionth tourist of 2026 on Saturday, marking a key milestone for the country’s tourism industry.
The visitor was identified as Almudena Esparza of Spain, who arrived at Velana International Airport on a Qatar Airways flight.
A ceremony was held at the airport to mark the occasion. The event was attended by Tourism Minister Mohamed Ameen, Managing Director of Visit Maldives Ibrahim Shiuree and senior officials from Maldives Airports Company Limited.
The one million visitor mark was reached later than in 2025, when the milestone was achieved during the first week of June.
Tourism arrivals this year have been affected by developments in the Middle East. According to available figures, arrivals are down by around 5 per cent compared with the corresponding period last year.
The Maldives is currently receiving approximately 5,000 visitors per day on average.
The government has set a target of attracting 2.5 million tourists by the end of 2026.
However, industry observers have noted that ongoing disruptions to international travel and aviation linked to the conflict in the Middle East may affect the pace of arrivals during the remainder of the year.
Tourism remains the Maldives’ largest source of foreign currency earnings and a key contributor to economic activity.
