Tourism.
Tourism is roughly a quarter of Maldivian GDP directly — and the gravitational center of everything else, from foreign exchange to construction. This area tracks the industry from primary sources and publishes what the data actually supports.
Data table
| Period | Arrivals | Forecast |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2019 | 151,552 | — |
| Feb 2019 | 168,583 | — |
| Mar 2019 | 162,843 | — |
| Apr 2019 | 163,114 | — |
| May 2019 | 103,022 | — |
| Jun 2019 | 113,475 | — |
| Jul 2019 | 132,144 | — |
| Aug 2019 | 139,338 | — |
| Sep 2019 | 117,619 | — |
| Oct 2019 | 141,928 | — |
| Nov 2019 | 137,921 | — |
| Dec 2019 | 171,348 | — |
| Jan 2020 | 173,347 | — |
| Feb 2020 | 149,786 | — |
| Mar 2020 | 59,627 | — |
| Apr 2020 | 0 | — |
| May 2020 | 0 | — |
| Jun 2020 | 0 | — |
| Jul 2020 | 1,752 | — |
| Aug 2020 | 7,628 | — |
| Sep 2020 | 9,538 | — |
| Oct 2020 | 21,515 | — |
| Nov 2020 | 35,759 | — |
| Dec 2020 | 96,412 | — |
| Jan 2021 | 92,103 | — |
| Feb 2021 | 96,882 | — |
| Mar 2021 | 109,585 | — |
| Apr 2021 | 91,200 | — |
| May 2021 | 64,613 | — |
| Jun 2021 | 56,166 | — |
| Jul 2021 | 101,818 | — |
| Aug 2021 | 143,599 | — |
| Sep 2021 | 114,896 | — |
| Oct 2021 | 142,066 | — |
| Nov 2021 | 144,725 | — |
| Dec 2021 | 164,284 | — |
| Jan 2022 | 131,764 | — |
| Feb 2022 | 149,008 | — |
| Mar 2022 | 150,748 | — |
| Apr 2022 | 145,280 | — |
| May 2022 | 125,522 | — |
| Jun 2022 | 110,889 | — |
| Jul 2022 | 133,561 | — |
| Aug 2022 | 131,862 | — |
| Sep 2022 | 111,986 | — |
| Oct 2022 | 153,737 | — |
| Nov 2022 | 146,886 | — |
| Dec 2022 | 184,051 | — |
| Jan 2023 | 172,499 | — |
| Feb 2023 | 177,915 | — |
| Mar 2023 | 173,514 | — |
| Apr 2023 | 164,357 | — |
| May 2023 | 120,959 | — |
| Jun 2023 | 120,363 | — |
| Jul 2023 | 145,620 | — |
| Aug 2023 | 154,854 | — |
| Sep 2023 | 130,967 | — |
| Oct 2023 | 159,141 | — |
| Nov 2023 | 163,658 | — |
| Dec 2023 | 194,696 | — |
| Jan 2024 | 192,385 | — |
| Feb 2024 | 217,392 | — |
| Mar 2024 | 194,227 | — |
| Apr 2024 | 168,366 | — |
| May 2024 | 119,875 | — |
| Jun 2024 | 123,284 | — |
| Jul 2024 | 167,528 | — |
| Aug 2024 | 176,175 | — |
| Sep 2024 | 132,795 | — |
| Oct 2024 | 172,621 | — |
| Nov 2024 | 172,987 | — |
| Dec 2024 | 208,980 | — |
| Jan 2025 | 214,863 | — |
| Feb 2025 | 214,091 | — |
| Mar 2025 | 203,468 | — |
| Apr 2025 | 198,322 | — |
| May 2025 | 135,614 | — |
| Jun 2025 | 141,772 | — |
| Jul 2025 | 186,738 | — |
| Aug 2025 | 192,058 | — |
| Sep 2025 | 149,563 | — |
| Oct 2025 | 190,445 | — |
| Nov 2025 | 195,127 | — |
| Dec 2025 | 224,455 | — |
| Jan 2026 | 224,788 | — |
| Feb 2026 | 247,722 | — |
| Mar 2026 | 161,259 | — |
| Apr 2026 | 147,600 | 147,600 |
| May 2026 | — | 152,877.3 |
| Jun 2026 | — | 153,960.7 |
| Jul 2026 | — | 197,153.8 |
| Aug 2026 | — | 207,935.2 |
| Sep 2026 | — | 165,107.9 |
| Oct 2026 | — | 210,015.4 |
| Nov 2026 | — | 211,738.1 |
| Dec 2026 | — | 250,071.3 |
| Jan 2027 | — | 246,907.8 |
| Feb 2027 | — | 263,418.7 |
| Mar 2027 | — | 246,832.8 |
| Apr 2027 | — | 231,386.8 |
Data table
| Period | Resorts | Guesthouses | Hotels | Safari vessels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1999 | 100 | — | — | — |
| Jan 2000 | 100 | — | — | — |
| Jan 2001 | 100 | — | — | — |
| Jan 2002 | 100 | — | — | — |
| Jan 2003 | 100 | — | — | — |
| Jan 2004 | 100 | — | — | — |
| Jan 2005 | 100 | — | — | — |
| Jan 2006 | 100 | — | — | — |
| Jan 2007 | 100 | — | — | — |
| Jan 2008 | 100 | — | — | — |
| Jan 2009 | 100 | — | — | — |
| Jan 2010 | 100 | — | — | — |
| Jan 2011 | 97.5 | — | 2.5 | — |
| Jan 2012 | 97.3 | — | 2.7 | — |
| Jan 2013 | 97.3 | — | 2.7 | — |
| Jan 2014 | 97.2 | — | 2.8 | — |
| Jan 2015 | 97.1 | — | 2.9 | — |
| Jan 2016 | 97 | — | 3 | — |
| Jan 2017 | 97 | — | 3 | — |
| Jan 2018 | 97 | — | 3 | — |
| Jan 2019 | 96.9 | — | 3.1 | — |
| Jan 2020 | 96.9 | — | 3.1 | — |
| Jan 2021 | 88.1 | 6.1 | 2.7 | 3 |
| Jan 2022 | 87.3 | 7.2 | 2.6 | 2.9 |
| Jan 2023 | 85.8 | 8.9 | 2.4 | 2.8 |
| Jan 2024 | 84.9 | 10.1 | 2.3 | 2.7 |
| Jan 2025 | 83.9 | 11.3 | 2.2 | 2.6 |
An error-correction model finds a real long-run demand relationship in four of six major markets — all strongly income-elastic. The price response, on free annual data, can't be pinned down.
SOURCE MARKETSIn 2021 China sent 2,000 visitors — down from 300,000. India and Russia filled the gap; by 2025 China was back on top. The Maldives' top-market table has been rewritten three times in six years.
ACCOMMODATION & ACCESSWhen guesthouses were legalised in 2010 they were a rounding error. Fifteen years on, local-island stays are a sixth of all bednights — the biggest structural change in Maldives tourism since the resort model itself.
ARRIVALS & DEMANDA late-February conflict severed the Maldives' Gulf transit hubs, cutting March–April arrivals 20–25%. With connectivity recovering, the underlying growth path resumes — if it holds.