Guesthouse arrivals top 340,000

Number of tourists staying in guesthouses in the Maldives has reached 340,000 so far this year, according to new figures from the Tourism Ministry.

Guesthouses accounted for 20 percent of all arrivals, with overall tourist numbers climbing to 1.5 million by mid-September. Resorts attracted 1.1 million visitors.

Maldives currently has 914 registered guesthouses, offering around 15,000 beds roughly 24 percent of the country’s total bed capacity.

In total, 64,500 beds are available across resorts, hotels, guesthouses and safaris.

The guesthouse sector has seen rapid expansion over the past decade, with the highest concentration in central atolls including Kaafu, Alifu Alifu, Baa and Vaavu.

The government aims to attract 2.3 million visitors this year, requiring about 800,000 additional arrivals over the next four months to meet the target.

The government's target is to attract 2.3 million tourists this year. About 800,000 tourists are expected to arrive in the remaining four months to meet that number.