Tourism Minister Mohamed Ameen has said the Maldives is on track to reach roughly the same number of tourist arrivals this year as in 2025, when the country welcomed a record 2.2 million visitors.
Speaking at the Ahaa forum, Ameen noted that arrivals fell by as much as 24 percent earlier in the year because of the conflict in the Middle East, which disrupted key source markets. Coordinated action by the government and the industry has since narrowed the decline to about 1.3 percent.
Around 1.6 million tourists have arrived so far in 2026. Reaching last year’s total would require roughly 200,000 arrivals a month for the remaining three months. Ameen described matching the previous record as a significant achievement given the external shocks.
The minister underlined the economy’s heavy dependence on tourism and the direct impact of any disruption on national performance. Plans to lease extra aircraft for Maldivian and to increase frequencies, including to Australia, form part of the recovery effort.
Industry and government representatives continue to monitor bookings and air capacity for the peak season.