Tourist arrivals from Italy have surpassed 18,000, establishing the European nation with the second most arrivals to Maldives in 2026.
According to data released from the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, 18,256 Italians have visited the Maldives in the first 24 days of January. This is a 9.8 percent increased compared to the same period last year, when 16,614 tourists arrived from Italy.
Italy has consistently ranked among the top countries for visitor arrivals to Maldives. This year Italy has climbed one spot to be ranked as the country with the second highest arrivals, at the end of 2025 the European state had consolidated its place in the third place for this metrics. Italy contributes significantly to Maldives’ tourism, accounting for 10.7 percent of the total arrivals in 2025.
Russia tops the list for most arrivals so far this year, with 23, 943 arrivals accounted for this year. This showcases a remarkable growth of 28.3 percent compared to last year, when during the same period Russians contributed to 18,651 visitor arrivals.
Maldives continues to demonstrate itself as one of the world’s leading tourist destinations, with arrivals increasing year on year. In this regard, the island nation has recorded a visitor arrival growth of 6.5 percent so far this year compared to the same period last year, when 160,224 tourists’ arrivals visited the country. This year a total of 170, 709 tourists have arrived in the Maldives to date.
Maldives has signalled an intent to continue to pursue higher tourists’ number with significant investment in its airports. In this regard, Velana International Airport serviced the greatest number of arrivals, with the figure standing at 168,559 as per the data from the ministry. Maafaru International Airport services 627 tourists followed closely in third place by Gan international airport with 508 tourists.
Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) has projected a record 2.4 million tourist arrivals by the end of this year, which a 200,000-increase compared to the 2.2 million tourists arrived by the end of 2025.