In 2013, visitor arrivals registered significant growth of 17.4% over
the previous year to reach 1.1 million. It was also the first time that
visitor arrivals have crossed the one-million mark, which was largely
attributable to tourist promotion campaigns as well as new air routes
to the Maldives arising from its Open Skies Policy. The Maldives is
currently served by 32 air carriers, as compared to other destinations in
the Indian Ocean such as Mauritius (19 air carriers) and Seychelles (7 air
carriers). As at YTD September 2014, visitor arrivals increased by 10.1%
y-o-y, underpinned by significant double-digit growth in visitors from
Mainland China, South Korea and India.
The Maldives experiences higher visitor arrivals during the months of
October to April and lower volume during the monsoon season from June
to August. This is mostly due to a higher number of European travelling
during the winter. Yet with the growing significance of tourist arrivals from
Asia and especially from Mainland China, the Maldives tourism market
is experiencing fewer seasonal fluctuations as Chinese arrivals are now
filling traditional lull periods. Being a holiday destination, arrivals to the
Maldives tend to be largely driven by the holiday season in the respective
source countries. As a result, peak visitation months can be observed
in October during the UK half-term school breaks and Chinese Golden
Week, December and January during European and Russia Christmas
Holidays as well as in early February with Chinese New Year.
In its Fourth Tourism Master Plan 2012, the government has projected a
double-digit increase in international visitor arrivals for the ten-year period
to an estimated 2.5 million by 2021, more than double of the current
arrival figures achieved in 2013. The government is optimistic in achieving
this growth through a deeper partnership between the public and private
sectors of Maldives tourism.
The average length of stay recorded a decrease from 2002 to 2013,
mostly due to the increase in Asian travellers who tend to stay for shorter
periods due to shorter holiday seasons. Nevertheless, the Maldivian
government has projected a gradual increase during the projection period