Players in the Maldives tourism industry have raised concerns following a sudden drop in the number of tourists arriving in the country on a daily basis.

Tourist arrivals had been recovering steadily after the decline caused by the Middle East war, with daily arrivals climbing to around 5,000. However, since the beginning of last week, that figure has fallen to around 4,000.

Mohamed Firaq, head of Inner Maldives, said that while the current daily arrival rate stands at 4,680 tourists, airlines flying to the Maldives have a combined seat capacity of 6,800. Although 40 airlines currently operate to the country, this capacity is not being filled — a situation Firaq described as a serious issue. He suggested the solution lies in stronger destination marketing activities and closer coordination with airlines.

According to tourism statistics, 41,648 tourists have visited the Maldives so far this month. This represents a 2.9 percent decline compared to the 42,880 tourists who arrived during the same period last year. Total arrivals for the year now stand at 1.49 million — a 3.7 percent drop from the same point last year.

Tourism Minister Mohamed Ameen said that seven new airlines are scheduled to begin operations in the final quarter of this year, including carriers from Russia, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Ethiopia and France. While the country is unlikely to hit its target of 2.5 million tourists for the year, the minister said arrivals would come close to that mark. He also noted that the 24 percent loss caused by the Middle East war has been reduced to 2 percent through joint efforts between the industry and the government.

However, simply adding more airlines will not resolve the issue on its own. Unless the full capacity of these carriers can be utilised, there will be little reason for them to continue operating routes to the Maldives.