According to the latest census, while there are 58,089 employed in the tourism industry, only 40 percent are Maldivians. The total number of Maldivians working in the tourism industry is 22,377 of which 20,471 were male and only 1,866 female.
The remaining 60 percent of the tourism workforce, by country, and broken down by male/female are;
| Nation | Total Employees | Male | Female |
| Bangladesh | 15,205 | 14,514 | 691 |
| India | 8,316 | 7,690 | 626 |
| Sri Lanka | 5,366 | 5,130 | 236 |
| Nepal | 1,620 | 1,385 | 235 |
| Indonesia | 1,546 | 603 | 943 |
| Philippines | 979 | 284 | 695 |
| Other | 2,720 |
Minister of Tourism Ibrahim Faisal, while speaking to local media, acknowledged the decline in locals working in the tourism industry, citing various reasons. However, he said the administration is committed to countering this decline, and highlighted scholarship opportunities as one such endeavour.
A good hotel school is the most important thing to increase the number of Maldivians working in the tourism industry, especially in the top tier hotels, he said. The hotel school will be established in affiliation with a world-class hospitality school and will facilitate students from different parts of the world to come to the Maldives to study, Faisal said.
Tourism has been a mainstay of the local economy for 50 years and today is the top earning industry in the Maldives.
According to Ministry of Tourism statistics 1,147 facilities currently serve tourists visiting the country; this includes hotels, guesthouses and safaris, with a combined bed capacity of 61,750.
