Ministry of Tourism has revealed that India has become the top source market for tourist arrivals in the Maldives.
The statistics from the tourism ministry show that India was also the biggest contributor by market share last year. However, India was ranked the third biggest contributor at the beginning of this year. Russia, which was the top source market for tourist arrivals at the beginning of the year, is now the second biggest contributor with 100,247 arrivals. The third highest number of tourists so far this year visited from the United Kingdom (UK) with 75,956 arrivals and the fourth highest number of tourists visited from Germany with 62,861 arrivals.
The ministry recorded 854,409 tourist visits so far this year, which is a 14.4% increase compared to the same period in 2022. A total of 60,818 tourist beds are in operation in resorts, hotels, guesthouses, and liveaboards across the Maldives.
The government is making efforts to increase the number of tourist arrivals to the Maldives and promote the country as a tourist destination. As such, the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) and the tourism sector are conducting many activities to promote the Maldives in different parts of the world. These include fairs, road shows, digital campaigns, and familiarisation trips.
The government aims to welcome 1.8 million tourists in 2023 and break last year’s record of 1.6 million tourists.