The Maldives has welcomed the first tourist visitor of the new year.

The first tourist visitor of the new year was welcomed during a special ceremony held at Velana International Airport (VIA) in the early hours of Monday.

A Benjamin Duncan Moore, the first tourist of 2024 hails from the United Kingdom and arrived in the island nation on an Emirates flight.

He received a warm welcome at VIA during a ceremony joined by Minister of Tourism Ibrahim Faisal and other stakeholders of the tourism industry including officials from the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), Maldives Immigration, Maldives Airports Company Limited as well as telecommunications provider Dhiraagu.

Speaking to media, the first visitor of the year expressed that his biggest wish was to experience the warmth of the country’s climate as well as the many activities the island nation’s wide ocean has to offer. He also expressed his desire to experience splendid moments with sea life, including dolphins, sharks, and whales.

Moore revealed that this was his first time visiting the archipelago nation.

Welcoming the first tourist of 2024 to the Maldives, Minister Faisal noted that this is a fantastic start to what promises to be another successful year for the Maldives’ tourism industry.

He expressed keen interest to diversify and explore additional markets to reach this year’s arrival target.