The global lender's Global Economic Prospects Report, released on June Tuesday, forecasts that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which had been at 3.7 percent in 2013, would rise to 4.5 percent this year. The report suggests that the reason behind this growth is the increase in the number of tourists, particularly by "robust growth in the Chinese tourist segment." "In the medium term, the economy is projected to grow at a more sustainable pace of about four percent annually, as tourism revenues from Europe pick up," the report reads. The World Bank stressed that all the countries in South Asia, apart from Maldives and Nepal, would experience "significant revenue shortfalls" against budgeted amounts. Weak tax regimes and big tax exemptions are to be blamed, the agency said. The report projects the Maldives economic growth to stay at around four percent in the next years. The country's current account balance (difference between net imports and exports) per GDP is expected to fall one percent this year, thanks to a slight increase in exports.