Overview and Statistics

TOURISM MALDIVES

 

A promotion video by Visit Maldives

Destination name: The Republic of Maldives

Destination map: Maldives is an islands country located in Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.

Maldives map by the World Atlas

Destination information and facts:

  • Maldives is a small islands country in South Asia. It is located in the southwest of Sri Lanka and India. The total area of Maldives is roughly 300 square kilometers.
  • Capital island: Male
  • Area: Maldives has total 1,192 islands spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometres.
  • Religion: Islam (mandated by law)
  • Languages: Dhivehi and English
  • Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa. US dollar is also accepted.
  • Population: According to a population estimate, Maldives now has 379,270 inhabitants on the island (Statistics Maldives, 2020).
  • GDP: According to official government statistics, the 2019 total GDP of Maldives was $8.8 Billion with per capita of $23,155 (World Bank, 2020). This is a significant increase comparing to the previous years.
  • Culture: The culture of Maldives is influenced by the people from different areas of the world who have settled in the area. Most of the culture is influenced by Islam and Quran. Trade used to happen between the far east and middle east which is why Muslims settled here first.
  • Special Characteristics: One of the most special characteristics of Maldives is the fact that it is made of island. There are islands spread from north to south end of the country. These islands are surrounded by shallow water from Indian Ocean. Water around these islands is the clearest water we can ever see. Clean air, blue ocean, and white beaches are the unique and special characteristics of Maldives.
  • Transportations: The best ways to travel from islands to island are local ferries, speedboats and sea planes. Maldives has 14 airports including 5 international airports, such as Velana Internation Airport in Male.
  • Accommodations types:
    • Resorts provide unique and luxury experiences with the concept “one island one resort”.
    • Hotels are located in inhabited islands or airport islands.
    • Safari Vessels provide accommodation facilities on board with amenities and are opted mostly by divers and surfers.
Maldives sandbank

Tourism Maldives Statistics:

  • According to Ministry of Tourism of Maldives, tourism sectors contributed 24.5% to the total GDP in 2018. The economy of Maldives is not dependent on fisheries anymore, instead it is shifting towards tourism.
GDP contributions in 2018 graph by Ministry of Maldives
  • As the Covid-19 affect, the number of tourist arrivals decreased significantly 20.7% in the 1st Quarter of 2020. The impact of COVID-19 hit March arrivals by a 57% decrease in the number of international tourist arrivals on March, 2020.
Tourist arrivals and growth in Q1, 2020 by Ministry of Tourism
  • According to the latest report published by Maldives Tourism Ministry, the local residents do not travel within Maldives due to higher resort prices and less vacancies. Mostly, there are international tourists coming to Maldives from 5 main regions, which are Europe, Asia and the Pacific, America, Middle East and Africa. 
  • In Q1 of 2020, Europe remained as the top market region to the Maldives accumulating over 62% shares.
Market share by regions Q1 2020 by Ministry of Tourism
  • In 2019 and 2020, top 3 markets to Maldives are Italy, India and China.
Top 10 markets to Maldives, end 1st Quarter 2020 by Ministry of Tourism
  • During the 2014-2018 period, the monthly occupancy pattern of Maldives has been consistent throughout the years. The average occupancy rate in 2018 was 62.1%. The peak period in Maldives lasts from December to February, with the month of February recording the highest occupancy rate throughout the five year period. This is complemented by the holiday season in Europe, and further enhanced by the Chinese New Year holidays.
Occupancy Rate and Duration of Stay by Month, 2014 – 2018 by Ministry of Tourism

References

Ministry of Tourism (2019). Tourism Yearbook 2019. Retrieved from https://www.tourism.gov.mv/statistics/publications/year-2019

Ministry of Tourism (2020, April). Brief analysis on the tourism indicators of Maldives. Tourism Update 9(35). Retrieved from https://www.tourism.gov.mv/en/statistics/publications

Statistics Maldives (2020). Population and Ethnicity of Maldivians. Retrieved from  http://statisticsmaldives.gov.mv/nbs/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Maldives-Population-Projections-2014-2054.pdf

World Atlas (2020). Maps of Maldives. Retrieved from https://www.worldatlas.com/maps/maldives

World Bank (2020). Maldives International tourism, number of arrivals. Retrieved from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ST.INT.ARVL