The occupancy rate at Maldivian resorts are above 80% during the current peak season.
Qaisar Mohamed, General Manager at one of the largest hotel chains in Maldives, Villa Hotels group said the peak season has kicked off succesfully, with almost full occupancy.
"It is almost full. There has been a significant improvement compared to last year. This is mainly due to political stability, and the result of good marketing strategies adopted by both the tourism industry and the government," Qaisar said.
Qaisar revealed although the number of tourists visiting their resorts from India is significantly less, there has been a boom in arrivals from Europe.
"Average stay has also increased due to the increased tourist arrivals from Europe. It is not just Europe, arrivals from Asian countries have also increased," he said.
An official from Crown & Champa Resorts - the company operating the largest number of resorts in Maldives - said occupancy rates at their properties are above 80% as well.
"Most tourists staying at our resorts are traditional Europeans. Hence, average length of stay is between 6.7 - 7. Occupancy has also increased," the official said.
The total number of beds in the 155 resorts currently being operated in Maldives has reached 50,905. As a result of the large number of tourist beds, travel agents have been experiencing difficulties in selling resorts.
Inner Maldives is a travel agency selling holidays from over 60 local resorts. Deputy Managing Director of the company, Abdulla Qiyas said the occupancy of resorts they sell has also increased to 80%.
"There are several challenges due to the increased number of resorts. However, occupancy is doing very well. The occupancy rates are at about 80%," Qiyas said.
Owner of Lets Go Maldives - a company bringing in high-end clientele - Mohamed Riyaz said while there are several challenges in selling resorts, occupancy has improved this season.
According to official statistics compiled by the Ministry of Tourism, this year, 1.4 million tourist arrived in the Maldives by October. The government has stated that 1.5 million tourists target set by the government will be achieved by the end of November.
