Tourist arrivals to the Maldives have surpassed half a million during the first two months of the year, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Tourism and Environment.

Figures published by the ministry show that 526,767 visitors arrived in the Maldives between 1 January and 9 March. Of these, 517,509 were tourists, while 2,956 people travelled to the country for business purposes. A further 6,302 arrivals were recorded through cruise tourism. During the same period last year, the Maldives recorded 492,777 visitors, including 488,878 tourists, 3,071 business visitors, and 828 cruise arrivals, representing an overall increase of 6.9 per cent.

Statistics also show that tourist arrivals slowed during the early days of March. While 59,924 tourists visited the Maldives during the first nine days of March last year, arrivals during the same period this year stood at 44,999. Tourism authorities attribute the decline partly to disruptions affecting travel through the Middle East, including the impact of ongoing regional tensions on airline operations and regional flight routes.

On average, 7,747 tourists arrived in the Maldives per day between January and 9 March, while the daily arrival average in March stood at more than 4,000 visitors.

The top three source markets during the period were China, Russia and Italy, with 82,768 arrivals from China, 61,411 from Russia, and 50,419 from Italy. In terms of accommodation, 68.3 per cent of tourists stayed at resorts, accounting for 353,331 visitors, while 26.6 per cent stayed in guesthouses, representing 137,572 tourists.