The Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) has revealed that the state collected a total of USD123 million in Airport Development Fee (ADF) and departure tax in 2023.
The latest statistics released by MIRA show that the state received USD65 million through ADF and USD64 million from departure tax in 2023. The statistics show the ADF revenue saw an 18.9% rise from the USD55 million collected in 2022. Similarly, departure tax revenue also experienced an 18.3% increase, reaching USD63 million in 2023 compared to USD54 million in 2022.
Departure tax is a charge imposed on passengers departing from any airport within the Maldives, with its initiation on January 1, 2022. ADF is charged on every passenger departing from Velana International Airport (VIA) to other countries.
The increase in revenue from airport taxes and fees is attributed to the influx of tourists to the Maldives in 2023. A record-breaking 1.8 million tourists visited the Maldives last year.