Nearly one in four tourists to the Maldives stay in guesthouse accommodations

( lhohi white sand)

Guesthouses accounted for 22.6 per cent of tourist arrivals to the Maldives so far this year, with more than 274,000 tourists choosing guesthouse accommodation, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation.

The Ministry's statistics show that the Maldives welcomed 1,241,422 tourists during the period, of whom 274,687 stayed at guesthouses.

Chinese tourists accounted for the largest share of guesthouse stays. China was also the Maldives' largest source market during the period, while Italian tourists ranked second for guesthouse stays.

A total of 213,317 tourists arrived from China, of whom 28.6 per cent stayed at guesthouses.
Italian tourists ranked second in terms of guesthouse stays. Of the 96,876 tourists who visited from Italy, 28.2 per cent chose to stay at guesthouses.

There are currently 944 guesthouses operating across the Maldives, with a combined bed capacity of 17,010. According to the Ministry's statistics, this represents 25 per cent of the country's total bed capacity.