Maldives saw an eight per cent increase in tourist arrivals in August, statistics published by the Ministry of Tourism have revealed.
According to the ministry, 121,310 tourists arrived in the Maldives last month, whilst 892,025 tourists have visited the country this year thus far.
Most of the visitors were from China, tourism ministry’s statistics revealed. Last month alone, 33,743 Chinese tourists visited the Maldives while a total of 209,514 Chinese tourists have spent their holidays in the Maldives this year thus far.
While Europeans used to dominate the country's tourism market, the Maldives as of lately has seen a surge in tourists arriving from the Asia Pacific region. To this effect, most of the tourists this year came from this region with over 59,900 individuals.
Tourists from Europe – mostly from the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany – added up to 47,465 till August.
Whilst tourist arrivals increased in August, the tourist bed occupancy rate was at 61.6 percent this year. This is a 3.3 percent drop compared to the corresponding period of last year.
The development of new resorts and guesthouses could contribute to the decline in the bed occupancy rate. Currently there are 129 resorts, 14 hotels, 428 guesthouses and 146 liveaboards operating in the Maldives.
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