The finance ministry has predicted that the country will not be able to reach the target of 2.3 million tourists for this year.
Credible sources confirmed to Adhadhu that Finance Minister Moosa Zameer is expected to make this announcement in his speech to present the proposed state budget for 2026.
The ministry now estimates that 2.26 million tourists will arrive in the Maldives by the end of this year.
This will be the first year in recent history, except during the Covid-19 pandemic, that the government fails to achieve the tourist arrival target.
According to the tourism ministry, 1,804,515 tourists visited till October 26. This is a 9.9 percent increase over last year. But the figures have not increased as predicted by the government.
The country needs 674,000 tourists within three months of the last quarter of the year to reach the target.
This means the country needs an average of 200,000 tourists each month. Only the first three months of this year saw tourist arrival figures above 200,000.
In April, 198,322 tourists visited the Maldives. The figure was at 168,026 by October 27.
Tourism and Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim said in early April that the government's agreement with Liverpool FC to promote the Maldives as the club's official destination would help exceed the target of 2.3 million tourists.
The government further said the inauguration of the new terminal at Velana International Airport (VIA) in July would boost air travel, leading to more visitors.
