Maldives tourist arrivals down 3.9% so far in October
The Maldives received 79,529 tourists in the first 14 days of October, 3.9 percent fewer than a year ago, as arrivals for the year remain 3.4 percent below last year.
The Maldives welcomed 79,529 tourists between 1 and 14 October, according to Tourism Ministry statistics. This is 3.9 percent lower than the same period last year, when 82,770 tourists arrived.
For the year so far, 1,682,550 tourists have visited the Maldives, down 3.4 percent from 1,741,801 in the same period last year.
Resorts remain the most popular choice, with 1,219,734 tourists staying at resorts this year. Guesthouses hosted 360,016 tourists, hotels 37,514 and safari vessels 31,509.
China remains the top source market with 317,524 tourists, followed by Russia with 239,816 and the UK with 125,051.
This time of year is the low season for Maldivian tourism. Last year the country received 2.2 million tourists, and the ministry’s figures show that about 200,000 tourists a month are needed over the remaining three months to match that. Tourism Minister Mohamed Ameen said at the “Aha” forum that arrivals are expected to reach last year’s total by the end of the year.
The lower arrivals have also cut government revenue. Tourism Goods and Services Tax (TGST) collections are MVR 126 million lower this year than last year. The main cause is the war in the Middle East that began on 28 February, which led to many flights to the Maldives being cancelled. Arrivals are still running 3.5 percent below last year’s level.
The Tourism Ministry expects the coming peak season to bring a strong lift to tourism in the final
