Tourist arrivals have pulled back level with last year after the slump that followed the outbreak of war in the Middle East, figures published by the Ministry of Tourism show.
Arrivals in the first 18 days of October were 0.2 percent ahead of the same period in 2025, the ministry’s latest daily update shows. It is the fourth month out of the last six in which arrivals have matched or beaten last year.
How far it fell
The recovery follows a sharp drop in the spring. Arrivals were down 19.8 percent in March and 24.4 percent in April against the same months of 2025, and fell a further 12 percent in June.
The year had started strongly, with January up 5 percent and February up 17.7 percent.
Where it stands now
A total of 1,679,317 tourists had arrived by 18 October, down 3.2 percent on the same point last year but ahead of the 1,584,654 recorded by the same date in 2024.
August was the strongest month of the year so far at 195,390 tourists, 2.1 percent above August 2025. September finished fractionally below last year, down 0.2 percent.
The Maldives ended 2025 with a record 2,246,516 tourists.
Who is coming
China remains the largest source market by a wide margin, with 321,724 arrivals, or 19.2 percent of the total. Russia follows with 243,138, then the United Kingdom on 127,769, Germany on 111,367 and Italy on 102,480.
Australia has climbed to seventh place with 39,935 arrivals, up from eleventh last year.
Resorts took 73.9 percent of arrivals and guesthouses 21.8 percent. Almost all visitors arrived by air, with Velana International Airport handling 97.9 percent of them.