The Maldives expects tourist arrivals this year to reach levels comparable to last year’s record, despite a slowdown over recent months, Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Mohamed Ameen has said.
Speaking at the Ahaa Forum, Minister Ameen noted that 2025 recorded the highest number of tourist arrivals in the country’s history at 2.275 million. He attributed part of that performance to improvements in aviation safety standards following reforms introduced in 2024.
Those reforms, aligned with President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s pledges, helped the Maldives achieve a score of 79.6 percent in an International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) audit completed early last year. The improved standards encouraged more European carriers to operate flights to the Maldives.
Arrivals increased in January and February this year in line with government targets. However, the conflict in the Middle East contributed to a 24 percent decline in March, April and May compared with the same period in 2025.
Joint efforts by the government and the tourism industry have since narrowed the overall decline to 1.3 percent. According to the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, 1.6 million tourists have visited the Maldives so far this year.
“Our current forecast is that we can come close to matching last year’s figures by the end of this year. If we can finish slightly below that level, I would still consider it a good outcome,” Minister Ameen said.
As part of efforts to strengthen the sector, President Muizzu has declared next year the Year of Visiting the Maldives.
