Tourist arrivals in May was down -3.6% compared to the same period in 2022, the first decline recorded after double-digit growth since January.
A total of 120,960 tourists visited last month, down from 125,528 in May 2022.
Despite the slowdown in May, tourist arrivals during the first five months of the year was up 15.2% compared to the same period last year. A total of 809,245 tourists visited as of 31 May.
But arrivals were 15.5% higher compared to pre-pandemic levels in May 2019, Tourism Minister Dr Abdulla Mausoom told local media, attributing the significant growth in May last year to the celebration of the tourism golden jubilee in 2022.
Russia remains the top market with 94,213 tourist arrivals as of 31 May, representing a 11.6% market share, followed by India (93,879 tourists), the United Kingdom (73,373 tourists), Italy (60,322 tourists) and Germany (60,170 tourists).
There are 170 resorts, 160 safari vessels and 914 hotels and guesthouses in operation across the country with a combined bed capacity of 60,830.
