According to data from the Ministry of Tourism and Environment (MoTE), 218,650 tourist arrivals were recorded in December, the highest figure in one month. This tops the previously held record of 217,392 travellers in February 2024.
Apart from December, the greatest number of tourists visited the country in the first three months: January (214,863), February (214,091), and March (203,468). The 218,650 in December shows tourist arrivals up until the 30th of the month, with the 31st included expected to further increase figures.
Maldives saw a 9.8 percent increase in tourists in 2025 compared to the previous year, with over 2.24 million arrivals in total. Travellers from China dominated the market in 2025, with over 300,000 arrivals while over 200,000 were from Russia and the United Kingdom (UK).
Meanwhile, Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) has welcomed the first tourist of 2026 at terminal 1 of Velana International Airport (VIA) today. The first passenger arrival was Thomas Andreas HellWeger, a German citizen who arrived in the Maldives via Etihad Airways. He stated that this was his first visit to the Maldives.