Chinese tourist arrivals have overtaken Russia to become the Maldives’ largest source market, data released by the Ministry of Tourism and Environment show.

As of 7 February, tourist arrivals from China stood at 35,123, placing the country at the top of the source-market rankings. Russia, which had led arrivals earlier this year, now ranks second with 35,112 visitors, while Italy is third with 28,676 arrivals.

Arrivals from China typically increase during the Chinese New Year travel period, contributing to the shift in rankings.

So far this year, a total of 285,127 tourists have visited the Maldives, representing a 5.3 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, when 270,706 arrivals were recorded.

Resorts accounted for the majority of arrivals, hosting 68 per cent of visitors, or 194,023 tourists. Guesthouses received 27 per cent of arrivals, totalling 77,075 tourists, while 7,703 visitors stayed at hotels. A further 6,069 tourists stayed on safari vessels.

Entry figures show that most tourists arrived through Velana International Airport, which recorded 281,591 arrivals so far this year. Maafaru International Airport handled 945 arrivals, while 941 tourists entered through Gan International Airport.

The highest number of tourist arrivals in a single day this year was recorded on 1 February, when 10,253 visitors entered the country. This surpassed the previous record of 10,213 arrivals set on 11 February last year. On average, 7,171 tourists are arriving in the Maldives per day.

Last year, the Maldives recorded its highest-ever annual tourist arrivals, exceeding 2.2 million visitors. President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has announced a national target of attracting 2.5 million tourists this year and has designated 2026 as the Visit Maldives year.