The Maldives has welcomed 1,132,142 tourists so far this year, a 4.8 per cent decline compared with the same period in 2025, according to the latest statistics released by the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation.
The figures, covering arrivals up to 11 July, show that the country received 1,189,777 visitors during the corresponding period last year.
The downward trend has continued into July, with 62,260 tourists arriving during the first 11 days of the month, down 2.2 per cent from 63,693 arrivals recorded during the same period in 2025.
China remained the Maldives’ largest source market with 184,080 visitors, accounting for 16.6 per cent of total arrivals. Russia followed with 160,605 tourists, or 14.5 per cent of the market.
The United Kingdom ranked third with 90,201 arrivals, followed by Italy with 75,690 and Germany with 70,114.
Tourist arrivals saw mixed performance during the first half of the year. January recorded a five per cent increase year-on-year with 227,403 arrivals, while February posted the strongest growth of the year, rising 17.7 per cent to 254,556 visitors.
However, arrivals declined sharply from March onwards. March recorded 166,616 arrivals, down 19.8 per cent from the previous year, while April fell 24.4 per cent to 152,861. May registered a modest recovery with 142,555 arrivals, up 1.7 per cent, before June declined again by 12 per cent to 125,891 visitors.
Last month, Tourism Minister Mohamed Ameen said the slowdown in arrivals was driven by unrest in the Middle East and the resulting disruptions to airline connectivity. He added that arrivals had since begun to recover following measures taken by the government to address the challenges.
Luxury resorts continued to dominate the accommodation sector, hosting 801,997 tourists, representing 72.5 per cent of total arrivals. Guesthouses accommodated 254,706 visitors, or 23 per cent, while hotels and safari vessels accounted for the remaining share.
The latest figures contrast with the strong performance recorded during the first six months of the year, when the Maldives welcomed 1,075,142 tourists, a five per cent increase over the same period in 2025.
The ministry’s statistics also show average daily tourist arrivals have eased to around 5,200 in recent weeks, down from more than 7,000 recorded earlier this year.
The US-Israel-Iran war has slowed down travel all across the globe, and the economies of tourism-dependent countries such as the Maldives suffered considerably due to the stagnation.
Minister Ameen said last month that tourist arrivals during the third and fourth quarters are expected to surpass current levels, with the country aiming to move closer to its annual target by the end of the year. The minister added that arrivals could approach last year’s total of 2.24 million tourists.
As part of efforts to boost visitor numbers, the minister said then that the government was continuing promotional activities in key source markets. He noted that tourism promotion events were scheduled to take place in China and Russia this month. The domination of the two countries topping the arrivals charts could be attributed to those promotional events.
He also highlighted the ongoing efforts to expand air connectivity. A new airline had commenced operations to the Maldives late last month, the minister had announced. While another carrier from France is expected to begin flights in the near future. He had said that the the government is also working on additional air service agreements to attract more international airlines.
