Tourist arrivals to the Maldives fell 7 per cent in the first week of November compared with the same period last year, widening the country’s accumulated arrivals shortfall after an almost flat October.
Figures published by the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation show that 41,374 tourists arrived between 1 and 7 November, compared with 44,482 during the corresponding period in 2025. The difference amounts to 3,108 fewer tourists, or approximately 444 fewer arrivals a day.
Daily arrivals averaged 5,911 during the week, below the 6,355 recorded a year earlier. The pace was also around 4 per cent lower than October’s daily average of 6,154 tourists.
The opening week therefore offered little evidence of an acceleration from October, when tourist arrivals increased by just 0.2 per cent year on year to 190,774. November’s initial decline follows that broadly unchanged performance, leaving more ground to recover over the remainder of the year.
Arrivals varied considerably across the seven days. Saturday, 7 November, recorded the highest total at 7,061, followed by Sunday, 1 November, with 6,689. Wednesday, 4 November, was the weakest day, with 4,888 arrivals.
Despite falling below last year’s level, the weekly total remained 4.2 per cent above the 39,702 tourists recorded during the first seven days of November 2024. The figures show a retreat from the stronger 2025 performance while remaining above the level recorded two years earlier.
By 7 November, cumulative tourist arrivals stood at 1,804,125, down 3.6 per cent from 1,871,416 at the same point last year. The opening week added 3,108 to that gap, bringing the total shortfall to 67,291 tourists.
