India continues to play an important role in the Maldives tourism market, contributing nearly 73,000 visitors and accounting for 5.8% of total international arrivals through August 5, 2026.
India remains a key source market for the Maldives, ranking sixth among international visitor markets as the island destination continues to attract strong tourist traffic in 2026.
According to the latest tourism figures, the Maldives recorded approximately 1.29 million visitor arrivals through August 5, with Indian travellers contributing 72,993 visitors, equivalent to 5.8% of total arrivals.
The figures underline the continued importance of the Indian market to the Maldives, which has benefited from strong air connectivity and growing demand for resort-based holidays.
Indian travellers favour resorts
Resorts remain the preferred accommodation choice among Indian visitors to the Maldives. Around 78.1% of Indian tourists opted to stay at resorts, highlighting the continued appeal of the destination’s island resorts and leisure-focused travel experiences.
The preference reflects the Maldives’ positioning as a premium beach and resort destination, particularly for travellers seeking short-haul international holidays, romantic getaways, family vacations and luxury experiences.
Strong air connectivity supports arrivals
Air connectivity continues to be central to the Maldives tourism industry. By August 2026, the country recorded a Seat Load Factor of 74.7%, indicating sustained demand for available air capacity.
Velana International Airport handled approximately 97.6% of total visitor arrivals, reaffirming the airport’s dominant role as the primary international gateway to the Maldives.
The high proportion of arrivals through Velana also highlights the importance of direct and connecting air services in supporting the destination’s tourism performance.
China leads Maldives source markets
While India remains in sixth position, China is currently the Maldives’ largest source market, contributing the highest number of international visitors.
The continued presence of India among the Maldives’ leading source markets reinforces the close travel links between the two countries and the importance of Indian outbound tourism to the island destination.
For the Maldives, maintaining strong connectivity with India remains significant as airlines, resorts and tourism businesses compete for a growing share of the regional international leisure market.
The latest figures suggest that Indian travellers continue to form an important component of the Maldives’ visitor mix, with resort stays and strong air connectivity supporting demand from one of South Asia’s largest outbound travel markets.
