The tourism occupancy rate in Maldives reached 75 percent in the first three months of 2018, a 5 percent growth compared to the same period last year, the Maldives Monetary Authority said in a statement Thursday.

According to the Maldives Central Bank's quarterly business survey, the tourism industry's occupancy rate hiked to 75 percent in the first quarter of 2018 from 70 percent of last year over the increased average guest night stay.

One of the prime assessment factors in understanding the tourism industry performance includes guest visits to the island nation.

The tourist arrival rate increased by 17 percent in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the same quarter last year.

Similarly in the first quarter of 2018 the average night-stay of tourists also increased by 18 percent.

The Maldives tourism industry earned 993.5 million U.S. dollars in the first quarter of 2018, marking a 20 percent jump from the same period last year.

According to latest statistics from the Tourism Ministry, a total of 726,515 holidaymakers have visited the Maldives during the first six months of 2018, marking a 10.5 percent increase in tourist arrivals when compared to the same period last year.