Tourist Arrivals Rebound in May Despite Ongoing Regional Challenges

Tourist arrivals to the Maldives have begun to recover following a decline earlier in May 2026, with 122,548 visitors recorded as of 27 May, compared to 119,468 arrivals during the same period last year, according to the latest daily update from the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation. The figure marks a 2.58 per cent increase year-on-year, lower than the 11.95 per cent growth recorded between the same period in 2024 and 2025.

While May traditionally marks the start of the tourism off-season in the Maldives, the slowdown this year has also coincided with wider regional challenges, including the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has affected travel demand, air connectivity and operating costs across parts of the global tourism market.

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Tourist arrivals remained ahead of 2025 levels during the first two months of the year. The Maldives recorded 227,403 arrivals in January 2026, up from 216,544 in January 2025, while February arrivals increased to 254,566 from 216,309 a year earlier.

However, arrivals declined significantly in March and April. The country welcomed 166,616 visitors in March 2026, compared to 207,707 in March 2025, a difference of 41,091 arrivals. In April, arrivals fell to 152,861 from 202,214 in the same month last year, a decline of 49,353 visitors.

Daily arrival figures indicate that tourism activity strengthened during the latter part of May. After dipping below 4,000 arrivals on several days in the middle of the month, visitor numbers exceeded 5,000 on six consecutive days between 22 and 27 May, peaking at 6,091 arrivals on 24 May.

During a press briefing at the President’s Office on 19 May, the Special Cabinet Committee established to assess the impact of developments in the Middle East and Gulf region reported signs of improvement in visitor numbers during May after the sharper declines experienced in March and April.

Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Mohamed Ameen said tourist arrivals had fallen by 22.5 per cent in March and 26.5 per cent in April compared with the corresponding months of 2025. He noted that the decline had narrowed to 8.9 per cent so far in May.

The minister attributed the improvement to efforts by government agencies and tourism industry stakeholders to respond to the downturn. He also highlighted the Government’s decision to acquire wide-body aircraft for Maldivian, stating that the move had strengthened the country’s capacity to respond independently to disruptions in international travel.