Tourist arrivals for February surpass 100,000-mark

Tourist arrivals for the second month of the Golden Jubilee year of tourism has surpassed the 100,000-mark.

This was revealed by the Ministry of Tourism in its most recent statistics publicized on Friday.

The statistics revealed that the country saw 251,339 arrivals between January 1 – February 23, of which 131,764 tourists were welcomed during January and 119,575 arrivals have been recorded so far in February.

January’s arrivals are a 43.1 percent increase from the previous year’s arrivals, however it is lower in comparison to the arrivals recorded in 2019 and 2020.

The ministry went on to reveal that February’s arrivals so far are an increase of 51.4 percent in comparison to the arrivals recorded in the same period in 2021; 78,988.

In addition to this, the total arrival figure so far this year is a 46.9 percent increase in comparison to the arrivals recorded in 2021.

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 4,654.

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, with 39,660 arrivals having been recorded from the country between January 1 – February 23. The country boasts 15.8 percent of the arrival count.

Following at Russia’s tail is the United Kingdom with 28,569 visitors and contributing 11.4 percent.

India ranks third contributing 8.8 percent with 22,138 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.

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.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in his presidential address on February 3, revealed that Maldives aims to welcome 1.6 million tourists this year.

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.

Minister of Tourism, Dr. Abdulla 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.