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Tourism up by 9.3 percent in September

Ahmed Aiham
31 October 2019, MVT 12:27
A group of tourists arrives at Velana International Airport. PHOTO: NISHAN ALI / MIHAARU
Ahmed Aiham
31 October 2019, MVT 12:27

The number of tourist arrivals in Maldives for the month of September increased by 9.3 percent, compared to the same period in 2018, statistics show.

According to statistics publicised by the Ministry of Tourism, the number of tourist arrivals this year till September was approximately 1.25 million visitors, a 15.8 percent increase compared to the 1.08 million arrivals recorded in 2018.

A total of 117,619 tourists visited the country in September.

Tourist arrivals by regional sector

Europe: 48 percent

Asia and the Pacific: 43 percent

Americas: 5 percent

Middle East: 4 percent

Africa: 1 percent

The largest number of tourist arrivals based on countries hail from China (230,349), followed by India (115,507), Italy (97,375), Germany (93,727), the United Kingdom (90,963) and Russia (58,306).

By the end of September, the overall occupancy for the Maldivian hospitality industry stood at 62 percent. Maldives has a total of 151 operational resorts with 35,427 beds.

In addition to resorts, tourist facilities include guesthouses, liveaboards and hotels.

The peak tourism season in the Maldives is the duration of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, usually between November and April. Some resorts commonly reach full occupancy during this period as tourists spend Christmas and New Year vacations in the country.

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