Tourist arrivals fell 2.6 percent in April after consistent highs in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024, according statistics released by the Ministry of Tourism.
Arrivals increased by 11.5 percent in January, 22.2 percent in February and 11.9 percent in March this year, with figures peaking at an all time high of 217,392 tourists in February.
Arrivals fell sharply however, at the start of the second quarter (Q2) in April, to 168,647 tourists.
According to the ministry, 772,651 tourists arrived in the Maldives as of last month, an increase of 12.3 percent over the same period last year.
So far this year, the number of tourists from China has increased by 169 percent, while the number of tourists from India has fallen by 42 percent. April arrivals from China accounted for 83,835 tourists while those from India accounted for 42,638 tourists.
Arrivals from India accounted for the largest number of visitors to the Maldives last year.
The five countries with the highest number of tourists so far this year include;
| Country | Number of Arrivals | Percentage Share of Arrivals |
| China | 83,835 | 10.9 |
| Russia | 77,632 | 10 |
| UK | 75,253 | 9.7 |
| Italy | 70,514 | 9.1 |
| Germany | 60,033 | 7.8 |
Room occupancy stood at 69.1 percent at the end of March, the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) said on Wednesday, down from 83.7 percent in February. According to Ministry of Tourism data, the Maldives has around 62,000 tourist beds across 175 resorts, 843 guesthouses, 147 safari vessels, and 15 hotels, with 40 airlines flying tourists to the nation.
Occupancy at resorts stood at 92.7 percent in February this year versus 76.2 per cent in March, according to MMA data.
Guesthouse occupancy stood at 71.4 percent in February compared to 58.4 percent in March.
Hotel occupancy also declined, with occupancy at 28.7 percent in March, down from 39.1 percent in February.
While occupancy at resorts, guesthouses, and hotels declined, safari vessels saw an uptick, reaching 43.2 percent in March compared to 39.9 percent in February.