DTIS, Volume I - Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF)

British market in 2001. In 2004, before the tsunami, Italy, with over 130,000 tourists,
accounted for 22 per cent of the total of 616,716 tourists that year. British tourists
numbered about 114,000, accounting for 18.5 per cent, followed by Germany with about
73,000 tourists, or 11.8 percent of the total.
Before the tsunami, France recorded a doubling in tourist numbers over five years from
about 23,000 in 1999 to more than 46,000 in 2004. Switzerland also recorded
considerable growth during the 1990s, almost tripling its number of tourists from about
11,000 in 1990 to some 30,000 in 2004. Similarly, Russia has recorded tremendous
growth in recent years from 3,600 in 2000 to more than 18,000 in 2004.
Asian tourist arrivals increased from about 37,000 in 1990 to 117,000 in 2004 but its
proportion of the total volume of tourism has remained static at around 19 per cent.
Japan has the largest share of the Asian market, accounting for about 40 per cent and 7-8
per cent of the total number of tourists in 2004. Almost 47,000 Japanese tourist arrivals
were recorded in 2004.
B. ACCOMODATION CAPACITY
Accommodation capacity of the tourism sector increased from a little less than 6,000 bed
spaces in 1985 to almost 20,000 (19,565) in 2004. The capacity comprises a total of 236
accommodation facilities. Of these, the 87 resort islands account for 36 per cent of the
number of establishments, but more than 86 per cent of the bed capacity with almost
17,000 bed spaces. Eight hotels, located mainly in the capital of Male’, have 3.3 per cent
of total bed capacity with 636 beds, while there are 28 guesthouses with a capacity of 425
beds. Finally, 113 registered safari vessels have a total bed capacity of 1,676,
corresponding to 8.6 per cent of the total bed capacity. On average, resort islands and
hotels have a capacity of just fewer than 80 beds, corresponding to about 40 rooms. By
contrast, safari vessels and guesthouses provide on average a capacity of 14-15 beds,
corresponding to 7 double rooms.
The government mainly by means of tenders for lease of resort islands has tightly
controlled the development of the accommodation capacity. With apparently inelastic
demand for a Maldivian holiday, this control of supply of accommodation facilities has
perhaps contributed to healthy occupancy rates of the resorts and profitability
C. CONTRIBUTION TO GDP AND LINKAGES TO THE DOMESTIC
ECONOMY
For over 30 years, the tourism sector has been the driving force behind economic growth
in the Maldives but there is scope for forging even stronger linkages with other sectors in
the economy.
Tourism contributes significantly to the Maldives’ GDP. Of the total GDP of Rf. 7,586
million (USD 644 million) in 2003, the Ministry of Planning and National Development
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