Tourist arrivals to the Maldives fell by 20 per cent during the first 13 days of June, interrupting the modest recovery recorded in May and extending the weaker performance seen across much of the second quarter.
The Maldives received 50,910 tourists between 1 and 13 June, compared with 63,618 during the corresponding period of 2025. This represents an average of around 3,916 arrivals per day, down from approximately 4,894 during the same period last year.
Daily arrivals fluctuated between 3,462 and 4,782 during the period. The highest daily total was recorded on 13 June, when 4,782 tourists entered the country, while the lowest was recorded on 8 June. Although arrivals strengthened towards the end of the reporting period, the increase was not sufficient to close the gap with last year.
The decline follows a brief improvement in May, when tourist arrivals increased by 3 per cent from 135,614 in May 2025 to 139,746 this year. That recovery came after arrivals fell by 20.7 per cent in March and 25.6 per cent in April, following strong growth of 5 per cent in January and 15.7 per cent in February.
As a result, the Maldives received 972,025 tourists between the beginning of January and 13 June, around 5.6 per cent fewer than the 1.03 million recorded during the comparable period of 2025. When business visitors and cruise passengers are included, total visitor arrivals stood at 994,901, down 4.9 per cent year on year.
The figures indicate that the strong performance recorded during the first two months of 2026 has been outweighed by weaker arrivals from March onwards. While May suggested that tourism demand was beginning to stabilise, the early June decline shows that the recovery has yet to gain consistent momentum.
China remained the largest source market, accounting for 153,790 tourists, or 15.8 per cent of total arrivals so far this year. Russia followed with 136,495 tourists and a 14 per cent share, while the United Kingdom ranked third with 82,850 arrivals. Italy overtook Germany to become the fourth-largest source market, contributing 70,888 tourists.
Resorts continued to accommodate the majority of visitors, receiving 694,411 tourists, or 71.4 per cent of the total. Guesthouses accounted for 231,189 arrivals and a 23.8 per cent share, while hotels and tourist vessels accounted for 2.5 per cent and 2.1 per cent, respectively.
The Maldives had 67,468 operational tourist beds as of 13 June, including 44,977 beds across 179 resorts and marinas. Guesthouses provided a further 16,348 beds across 919 establishments, while hotels and safari vessels accounted for the remaining capacity.
The weaker June performance places greater importance on arrival growth during the remainder of the month and the third quarter. With the year-to-date total already below 2025 levels, a sustained recovery will be required for the industry to regain the ground lost during March, April and early June.
