The Maldives has welcomed its one millionth tourist of 2026, reaching the milestone despite disruptions to international travel earlier this year.

The milestone was commemorated during a special ceremony at Velana International Airport, jointly organised by Visit Maldives Corporation (VMC), the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) and Maldives Immigration.

The one millionth visitor, Almudena Ortuño Esparza from Spain, arrived on a Qatar Airways flight and was welcomed with a traditional cultural reception and gifts from tourism stakeholders. During the ceremony, Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Mohamed Ameen presented Esparza with the first official invitation to return to the Maldives during Visit Maldives Year 2027. She was also awarded a complimentary six-night stay at Coco Bodu Hithi.

Speaking at the event, Minister Mohamed Ameen said reaching the milestone was particularly significant given the challenges faced by the tourism sector this year. He noted that disruptions to key air routes caused by the conflict in the Middle East placed considerable pressure on the industry, but said the achievement reflected the resilience of the sector and the collective efforts of tourism stakeholders. He also expressed confidence in the industry's performance for the remainder of the year.

Visit Maldives CEO and Managing Director Ibrahim Shiuree said achieving the one million visitor mark within the same timeframe as last year was encouraging despite recent disruptions to global travel. He said the Maldives responded by intensifying marketing efforts in key source markets, including India, China and Russia, while expanding promotional activities in emerging markets. Shiuree added that the combined efforts of the tourism industry had helped maintain growth and strengthen the Maldives' position as a leading global destination, expressing confidence that the country's tourism targets for the year would be achieved.

The Maldives reached the one million tourist milestone on 7 June last year. In 2024, the same milestone was achieved later, on 27 June.