Tourist arrivals to the Maldives are recovering after the sharp decline caused by disruptions to global travel stemming from the conflict in the Middle East, Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Mohamed Ameen has said.

The minister made the remarks during a press briefing held today at the President’s Office following a meeting of the Special Cabinet Committee established by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu to formulate and implement policies in response to the crisis.

Minister Ameen said tourist arrivals in March were down by 22 per cent compared with March 2025, while arrivals in April fell by 26 per cent compared with the same month last year. However, he noted that the decline had narrowed significantly in May. Tourist arrivals for the month are currently down by 8.9 per cent compared with May 2025, representing an improvement of about 17 percentage points from the previous months.

He said this demonstrated that the adverse impact on the tourism sector was being reversed through the combined efforts of the Government and industry stakeholders.

Minister Ameen described the improvement as a major achievement, particularly at a time when the global tourism industry continues to face challenges. He said the recovery was the result of coordinated work involving Government ministries, state institutions and stakeholders in both the tourism and civil aviation sectors.

The minister also noted that the year-to-date decline in tourist arrivals currently stands at 6.8 per cent compared with the same period last year. He expressed confidence that ongoing efforts by the Government and industry partners would lead to stronger growth in arrivals during the second half of the year.

Minister Ameen further highlighted the launch of direct flights between Australia and the Maldives by the national airline, Maldivian, as another significant achievement.

He revealed that the airline’s wide-body aircraft arriving today from Melbourne was operating at 92 per cent capacity, indicating strong demand from the Australian market.