China is currently the Maldives’ top tourism source market in 2024, with 144,173 arrivals recorded so far. This represents a 17.5 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, China is the first country this year to surpass 100,000 tourist arrivals. In the same period last year, 122,608 Chinese tourists visited the country.

Total international arrivals to the Maldives have reached 1.1 million as of early July. This is a 9.2 per cent increase from the 1.02 million recorded during the same period in 2023.

Russia and the United Kingdom have also recorded over 100,000 arrivals each, followed by Italy and Germany, rounding out the top five markets.

Top five source markets in 2024:

Most tourists have opted to stay in resorts, which account for 72.4 per cent of all stays. Guesthouses hosted 22.5 per cent, while hotels accommodated 2.2 per cent.

The Government has set a target of 2.3 million tourist arrivals for 2024. Officials expect numbers to rise further following the opening of Velana International Airport’s new passenger terminal on July 26.