Tourist Arrivals Fall 3.9% Year-on-Year as Maldives Records 1.39 Million Visitors 

Tourist arrivals to the Maldives have declined by 3.9 per cent year-on-year, with 1,385,676 visitors recorded as of August 19, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation’s weekly tourist arrival update figures.

China remained the Maldives’ largest source market, accounting for 18.6 per cent of arrivals, followed by Russia at 14.7 per cent, the United Kingdom at 7.8 per cent, Italy at 6.6 per cent, Germany at 6.1 per cent and India at 5.7 per cent.

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Monthly figures show that arrivals were strongest at the beginning of the year before declining during the March-June period. February was the busiest month in 2026, recording 247,722 arrivals, followed by January with 224,788. Arrivals fell to 161,259 in March and 147,600 in April before reaching the year’s lowest monthly figure of 123,552 in June. Arrivals then recovered to 183,119 in July, while 131,059 tourists were recorded during the first 19 days of August.

The decline in arrivals followed the outbreak of the US-Israel-Iran war after February, which triggered wider economic disruption and contributed to a spike in oil prices. Several airlines subsequently suspended or reduced flights to destinations affected by the conflict and its wider regional impact. The suspension of some flights from the Middle East to the Maldives and nearby destinations also affected the country’s overall tourist arrivals during the period.

As of August 19, resorts accounted for 73.4 per cent of arrivals, receiving 997,611 tourists. Guesthouses received 301,669 tourists, or 22.2 per cent, while hotels accounted for 32,138 arrivals (2.4 per cent) and vessels for 25,251 (1.9 per cent).

China led arrivals with 252,072 tourists, of whom 67.8 per cent stayed at resorts, 27.6 per cent at guesthouses, 3.2 per cent at hotels and 1.1 per cent on vessels. Russia followed with 199,510 tourists, with 82.2 per cent staying at resorts and 15.4 per cent at guesthouses.

The United Kingdom recorded 106,314 arrivals, with 87.5 per cent staying at resorts and 9.2 per cent at guesthouses. Italy recorded 89,080 arrivals, with 67 per cent staying at resorts and 27.8 per cent at guesthouses, while Germany recorded 83,355 arrivals, of whom 81.3 per cent stayed at resorts and 13.8 per cent at guesthouses.