Statistics show that 22 percent of tourists who have visited the Maldives so far this year have stayed in guesthouses. A total of 1.6 million tourists have visited the Maldives so far this year.
According to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, a total of 1,628,419 tourists have visited the Maldives so far this year. This is 3.3 percent lower than the 1,684,735 tourist arrivals recorded during the same period last year.
Of the tourists who visited the Maldives this year, 1,158,404 stayed at resorts. Meanwhile, 345,220 tourists stayed at guesthouses, while 36,106 stayed at hotels. The ministry's statistics also show that 29,679 tourists stayed at safari vessels.
Chinese tourists accounted for the largest share of guesthouse stays among tourists visiting the Maldives. China is also the largest source market for tourist arrivals during this period, with 300,977 Chinese tourists visiting the Maldives. Of these, 27.4 percent stayed at guesthouses.
Italian tourists recorded the second-highest proportion of guesthouse stays. A total of 98,039 Italian tourists visited the Maldives, of whom 13.5 percent stayed at guesthouses.
There are currently 927 operational guesthouses across the Maldives, with a total bed capacity of 16,810. According to Ministry of Tourism statistics, guesthouses account for 25 percent of the country's total tourist bed capacity.
Kaafu Atoll has the highest number of guesthouse beds, with 7,962 beds. A further 2,228 guesthouse beds are currently operational in Alif Alif Atoll.