Photo Credit: The W Maldives. Marriott International
When the Middle East crisis began in March, the Maldives lost arrivals as European and American travelers connecting through Gulf hubs stayed away. Marriott International says arrivals have nearly recovered, but from a different mix of markets, with India helping fill the gap.
“We had an immediate drop in arrivals, but now we’re almost back to normal in terms of numbers, maybe not from the same markets,” said Silvio Rosenberger, market vice president for the Maldives at Marriott International and vice president of operations for Asia Pacific excluding China.
Rosenberger said India sits in the Maldives’ top 10 source markets and is rising: Indian arrivals were essentially flat in 2025, ranking sixth at 112,229. Through August this year, arrivals had reached 76,000, Marriott is opening more properties, including Bulgari Resort next year.
“India has be