Travel – Maldives Daily News

Maldives Greets First Tourist of the Year, Hailing from the United Kingdom

maldives daily news — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 10:02:57 +0000

The Maldives welcomed its first tourist of 2024 on early Monday morning, with a special reception held at the Velana International Airport (VIA).

The guest of honor, Benjamin Duncan Moore from the UK, arrived in the Maldives to join his friends. The welcoming event saw the attendance of key figures including Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal, Fathimath Thaufeeq, the Managing Director of MMPRC, and the heads of Maldives Immigration and MACL.

During the ceremony, Moore was honored with various gifts from the Tourism Ministry, MMPRC, and MACL. Additionally, he was gifted a complimentary trip to CROSSROADS, which includes a plus one and is valid throughout the year.

Looking ahead, the budget for this year anticipates welcoming 2.1 million tourists. Tourism Minister Faisal has articulated plans for intensified marketing efforts to promote the Maldives as a tourist destination. These strategies aim to bolster tourist occupancy rates, ensuring the achievement of this year’s ambitious tourism target.

India Reclaims Position as Leading Tourist Market for Maldives

maldives daily news — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 09:58:15 +0000

India has once again become the leading tourist market for the Maldives, surpassing Russia, which had previously occupied the top spot.

According to the latest statistics released by the Tourism Ministry, the Maldives has welcomed 205,278 visitors from India this year, accounting for 11.2 percent of the total tourist arrivals. This surge has relegated Russia, the prior leader in tourist arrivals to the Maldives, to second place. Russian tourist arrivals currently stand at 203,539, comprising 11.1 percent of the total.

This year marks the second instance where India has topped the list of tourist markets for the Maldives. The first occurrence was in April when India led with 17,577 arrivals, compared to Russia’s 16,979.

The previous administration had set a target of 1.9 million tourist arrivals for the year. With only a few days left, the Maldives has so far recorded a total of 1,834,759 tourist arrivals.

Tourist Arrivals in Maldives Surpass 1.8 Million Mark

maldives daily news — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 09:52:32 +0000

As of now, the Maldives has achieved a significant milestone by welcoming its 1.8 millionth tourist for the year, successfully meeting its original tourist arrival goal.

Stefan Mathijs, a visitor from the Netherlands, arrived in the Maldives with his family on a recent Wednesday evening. His arrival at the Velana International Airport was greeted by Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal and Fathimath Thaufeeq, the Managing Director of the Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation, along with other senior officials.

The Maldives, having been awarded the title of World’s Leading Destination for the fourth consecutive year at the 2023 World Travel Awards, initially set a target of 1.8 million tourists for the year. However, this target was later revised to 1.

9 million, which, if achieved, will set a new record for the highest number of tourists in the country’s history.

Tourism Minister Faisal, speaking with the media, expressed confidence that the Maldives would reach the revised target of 1.9 million tourist arrivals. He noted that the country is currently witnessing an average of 5,000 tourist arrivals daily, though he cautioned that this number varies each day.

A key focus for tourism development, according to Minister Faisal, is the ongoing expansion of the Velana International Airport. He referenced President Dr. Muizzu’s commitment to completing the project within 8-9 months as one of his principal promises.

Stefan, honored as the Maldives’ 1.8 millionth tourist of the year, shared with reporters his surprise at the recognition. He mentioned that his family’s vacation in the Maldives was part of a longer trip, including a visit to Sri Lanka. They plan to return to the Maldives for another five days before heading home, looking forward to enjoying more time in the water under the sun.

MMPRC Anticipates a 40% Surge in Tourist Arrivals from China

maldives daily news — Sun, 14 Jan 2024 21:21:50 +0000

The Maldives is anticipating a 40% increase in Chinese tourist arrivals this year, according to Fathimath Thaufeeq, the managing director of the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC).

In a recent interview with China’s Global Times, Fathimath expressed optimism about the resurgence of Chinese tourists to pre-pandemic levels in 2023.

“China has always been a key market for Maldives’ tourism sector. We saw a steady rise in the number of Chinese visitors before the worldwide travel restrictions and after China reopened its borders,” she stated.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, China was the leading market for tourist arrivals in the Maldives.

During his latest state visit to China, Maldivian President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu urged for enhanced efforts to restore China as the top source of tourism for the Maldives.

In his speech at the Invest Maldives Forum in Fuzhou last week, Muizzu emphasized, “China was our foremost market before COVID, and I urge for concerted actions to help China reclaim this status.”

The visit saw Maldives and China signing over 20 agreements and discussing the expansion of direct flights connecting the Maldives with various regions in China.

Last year, the Maldives saw tourist arrivals surpass 1.8 million. The majority of these visitors were from India, totaling 209,198, closely followed by Russia with 209,146. China ranked third with 187,118 tourist arrivals.