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Tourist arrivals down by 20% due to Russia-Ukraine conflict

Minister of Tourism Dr. Abdulla Mausoom has stated tourist arrivals in the Maldives are currently down by 20% compared to projected figures, due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Speaking to PSM News, Tourism Minister Mausoom said the number of tourist arrivals in the Maldives is currently on par with the numbers from 2019. However, the minister said this does not fulfill the targets set for the year, noting the aim was to record full-house bookings through February, March, and April. He noted the Russia-Ukraine conflict has brought down tourist arrivals by 20% compared to the projected figures.

As per the statistics of the tourism ministry, Russia was the second top source market of tourists to the Maldives in 2021 and was the top source market during the first three months of 2022. Meanwhile, Ukraine was the 8th top source market in 2021.

The tourism ministry revealed tourist arrivals from Russia have declined sharply this month, dropping Russia to third in the list of top source markets for 2022. However, despite the drop in tourist arrivals from Russia and Ukraine, the Maldives is recording roughly the same number of tourist arrivals this year as compared to 2019. As such, the country has recorded 66,724 tourist arrivals during the first 14 days of April this year, as compared to 68,549 tourist arrivals recorded during the same period in 2019.

As per the statistics of the tourism ministry, the Maldives has recorded 498,245 tourist arrivals so far this year, which is a 45.3% increase compared to the same period last year.