Maldives has welcomed more than 20,000 tourists from Russia so far this year.

This was revealed by the Ministry of Tourism in its most recent statistics publicized on Thursday. As such, the statistics revealed that although India was the top source market for Maldives tourism by the end of 2021, the neighboring country currently ranks third in the top 10 markets for the Golden Jubilee of Tourism year.

Russia contributes the greatest number of arrivals to the Maldives so far in January, with 20,244 arrivals having been recorded from the country between January 1 – 26. The country boasts 18.4 percent of the arrival count.

Following at Russia’s tail is the United Kingdom with 10,602 visitors and contributing 9.7 percent.

India ranks third contributing 8.2 percent with 9,044 arrivals.

Before coronavirus began sweeping across the globe, the top 10 markets for Maldives tourism in 2019 were China, India, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Russia, France, United States, Japan and Australia.

Further, statistics revealed that 109,842 tourists were welcomed into the Maldives between January 1 – 26, which is a growth of 48 percent in comparison to the 76,059 visitors welcomed during the same period in 2021. The figure is less than the 150,385 arrivals recorded during 2020, and lower in comparison to the 125,022 arrivals recorded in the same period of 2019.

The statistics go on to indicate that tourists are staying in the Maldives for an average of nine days this promising year, with daily arrivals being maintained at an average of 4,341.

The average duration stay recorded during 2019 was six and in the year that followed, it rose to seven. 2021 saw tourists spending an average of eight days in the archipelago nation.

During 2020, Maldives recorded 555,494 tourist arrivals, which was a drastic plunge from the previous year’s 1,702,887 arrivals. Maldives met its tourist arrival target for 2021 in late December and welcomed a total of 1,321,932 tourists by the end of the year.

Maldives reached its tourist arrivals target for 2021 with the arrival of Romanian national Constantin Stelian Emil on 27 December 2021. A colorful celebration was held at the airport to welcome Emil, who arrived via a GullivAir flight with his spouse and two children. Emil and wife spent their honeymoon in the Maldives five years ago and were ecstatic to be back in the Maldives.

The ministry at the beginning of the year facilitated the introduction of Homestay in the Maldives as well, with the first of its kind launched in Dhiggaru island of Meemu atoll.

This comes under the president’s tourism development vision and policy to make tourism and its benefits to the island communities, accessible.

It has been 50 years since zealous travelers have been visiting the Maldives which has been drawing in visitors with its picturesque beauty for years. Maldives marks 50 years since the tourism industry’s inception, in 2022, dubbed the golden year of tourism in Maldives.

Dr. Mausoom earlier revealed that Maldives aims to win the World Leading Destination Award during the golden jubilee year as well and expressed hope to reach newer heights in the tourism success story with the inception of the Homestay tourism.