TOURISM STATISTICS IN THE MALDIVES

Ms. Maryam GasimDeputy Director General, Ministry of Tourism

Overview

Maldives at a Glance•Tourism in the Maldives

Inbound Tourism•Accommodation Statistics•Arrivals Statistics•Revenue & Expenditure Statistics

The Maldives - at a Glance

• Started in 1972

• One island one resort concept

• Free visa on arrival

• No restriction on any nationalities

• Contributes to 30% of the GDP

• Main source of foreign exchange

• Major employment generator

Contribution to GDP

Inbound Tourism

Bed capacity contribution by types of accommodation

(end October 2014)

Inbound Tourism

• Major Source of inbound tourism statistics

– Arrival/departure card (monthly/annual)

– Maldives Visitor Survey (biannually)

Inbound Tourism

• Ministry of Tourism,(MOT) publishes– Monthly – Quarterly– Annual

• Monthly data provided to MOT by Department of Immigration & Emigration

• Data collected through arrival/departure cards of immigration

Inbound Tourism

Data collected from Arrival/Departure Card

•Arrival•Nationality•Gender•Age (D.O.B)•Place of Residence•Purpose of visit•Length of stay•Departure•Place of stay in Maldives

Inbound Tourism

• Arrival/Departure Card

Inbound Tourism

Arrival data available by

•Nationality

•Gender

Inbound Tourism

• Tourist Arrivals 1972 - 2013

Inbound TourismMajor Markets to the Maldives•Europe (42.9%)•Asia & Pacific (49.9%)•Americas (3.2%)•Middle East (3.2%)•Africa (0.7%)

Major Top 5 Markets – end October 2014

Inbound Tourism

Maldives Visitor Survey

•Exit survey

•Conducted biannually (peak season and off-peak season)

•Targeted for tourists only

Inbound Tourism

Data collected through Maldives Visitor Survey

•Nationality

•Country of residence

•Duration of visit

•Purpose of visit

•Perception of tourists about the services.

Inbound Tourism

Some of the findings from Maldives Visitor Survey June 2014

Revenue & Expenditure Statistics

• Tourism Receipts compiled by the Maldives Monetary Authority (Central Bank) for the purpose of Balance of Payments

Previously used a model based estimation• Includes tax returns and expenditure made

by tourists in the resorts, souvenir shops, local transport, etc…

• Calculations were mainly based on a small scale survey

Revenue & Expenditure Statistics

• Coverage of Services account improved

• Goods and Service Tax (GST) and Business Profit Tax (BPT) introduced in 2011

• Administrative records or Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) to be used for the estimation of tourism receipts

Thank you!