Maldives tourism recorded a sharp decline in April as disruptions to international travel linked to the conflict in the Middle East weighed on visitor flows.
The country received 147,600 tourists in April 2026, down from 198,322 in April 2025. This marks a decline of 50,722 tourists over the same month last year, or 25.6 percent. Compared with April 2024, when arrivals stood at 168,366, the latest figure was lower by 20,766 tourists, reflecting a fall of 12.3 percent.
Total visitor arrivals also declined during the month. The Maldives recorded 152,861 total visitors in April 2026, compared with 202,214 in April 2025, reflecting a fall of 49,353 visitors, or 24.4 percent.
The April total included 147,600 tourists, 1,804 business arrivals, and 3,457 cruise passengers. Average daily tourist arrivals stood at 4,920 during the month.
The decline came as international travel faced disruption from the conflict in the Middle East, with flight routes and airline schedules affected across parts of the region. After stronger arrivals in January and February, the fall in March and April suggests that external travel disruptions had begun to weigh more heavily on the Maldives’ tourism performance.
The weaker monthly performance is likely to be closely watched by resorts, guesthouses, airlines, transport operators, and other tourism-linked businesses, as visitor volumes remain a key driver of wider economic activity in the Maldives. The scale of the April decline also places greater focus on market performance, air connectivity, and booking trends in the coming months.
