Tourist arrivals to the Maldives have begun September at a slightly slower pace than last year, indicating that the improvement recorded in August has not yet carried into the new month.
The country received 64,992 tourists between 1 and 14 September 2026, according to figures published by the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation. This represents a 2.4 percent decline from the 66,561 tourists recorded during the same period in 2025.
Despite the year-on-year decline, arrivals remained 13.1 percent higher than the corresponding period in 2024, when the Maldives received 57,479 tourists.
An average of approximately 4,642 tourists arrived each day during the first 14 days of September. Daily arrivals ranged from 3,947 on 7 September to 5,276 on 5 September. Arrivals exceeded 5,000 on four days during the period.
The early September decline follows a moderate recovery in August. Tourist arrivals reached 195,390 in August 2026, up 1.7 percent from 192,058 in the same month last year. The latest figures suggest that this growth has not been sustained during the opening weeks of September.
To match the 151,114 visitors recorded throughout September 2025, the Maldives would need to receive a further 86,122 visitors during the remaining 16 days of the month. This would require an average of approximately 5,383 arrivals per day, around 16 percent higher than the daily average recorded so far.
The broader annual figures also show that tourism remains behind last year’s performance. The Maldives welcomed 1,488,168 tourists between the beginning of January and 14 September, compared with 1,553,487 during the corresponding period of 2025. This represents a decline of approximately 4.2 percent.
Resorts accounted for 73.5 percent of tourist stays recorded during the year, while guesthouses represented 22.1 percent. Hotels and tourist vessels accounted for 2.3 percent and 1.9 percent, respectively.
China remained the largest source market with 279,410 tourists, followed by Russia with 218,445 and the United Kingdom with 114,986. These figures cover the year through 14 September rather than September alone.
The September data therefore points to a modest slowdown rather than a sharp contraction. Arrival volumes remain above 2024 levels, but the sector will require stronger growth during the remainder of the month to close the gap with last year.
