Duration of stay by tourists in Maldives drops by 0.2 percent

Records show a slight decrease in duration of stay by tourists in Maldives within the first six months of 2019.

Records released by Tourism Ministry shows tourist spent an average of 6.6 days in Maldives in January, but the figure dropped to an average of 6.1 days by end of June.

Tourists had spent an average of 6.5 days in Maldives in the first six months of 2018, but 6.3 days in the first six months of 2019. The figure is a 0.2 percent decrease.

Records show the average duration of stay by tourists had been low throughout the first six months of 2019 compared to 2018 expect for in the month of May when tourists had stayed an average of 7 days.

Though the records show a slight decrease in duration of stay by tourists, the occupancy of tourists per bed per night (bed-nights) increased by 14 percent compared to 2018. Bed-nights in 2018 had been recorded at an average 4.7 million nights in the first six months of 2018, but the figure rose to an average 5.4 million nights in the first six months of 2019.

Looking at other indicators, the average occupancy rate shows a 2.4 percent increase compared to 2018. Occupancy rate had been at an average 63.5 percent in the first six months of 2018, and at an average 65.9 percent in the first six months of 2019.

Meanwhile, the tourist accommodation capacity increased by 14 percent in the first six months of 2019 and is now at 48,825 beds. Number of beds at resorts increased by 16 percent, number of beds at guesthouses by 13.98 percent, number of beds at safaris by 5.1 percent, and number of beds at hotels by 0.5 percent.

Overall tourist arrivals to Maldives has increased by 18.7 percent with 862,589 arrivals recorded by end of June. Over MVR 2 billion has been generated as income from tourism within the first six months of 2019.