The total number of tourist arrivals this year has crossed the 1.5 million mark.

According to the latest Tourism Industry Update posted by the Ministry of Tourism, 1,508,298 tourists have arrived in the Maldives to date. While the government has set a target of 1.6 million arrivals, it is highly likely that this target will be reached as the month of December is seen as one of the peak months of tourism.

India leads the top source markets for tourism this year, taking up 14.1 percent of the market share with 209,725 tourist arrivals. Russia has taken the second spot with 12.3 percent of the market share with 182,337 arrivals. Tourism Ministry predicts more tourist arrivals from Russia during the winter season.

United Kingdom is at the third slot with 10.8 percent of the market share, and China's tourist arrivals are showing a steady increase monthly.

Statistics by the Ministry further reveal that on average 5,685 tourists visit the country daily, who spend about seven to eight days in the prominent vacation destination.