Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed has evaluated that approximately 2.4 million tourists are to arrive by the end of this year. The remarks were made by the minister during an exclusive interview given to TRT News; a Turkish broadcaster.
In response to the queries raised during the interview, Minister Saeed revealed that tourism of the nation is heavily dependent on the situation of the world, while noting that any shocks faced by countries negatively impacts the tourism growth. However, the minister affirmed that efforts to overcome such challenges are underway.
Highlighting the exponential growth of the tourist arrivals this year, Minister Saeed proclaimed that more than 500,000 tourists have visited the country up to date. Therefore, the minister expressed confidence in the influx of tourists, anticipating their numbers to reach 2.4 million by the year's end. The latest statistics publicised by the Ministry of Tourism indicated that Chinese tourists constitute the largest portion of total tourist arrivals, totalling to 69,000. It also revealed that more than 620,000 tourists visited the country so far.
Furthermore, Minister Saeed observed the increase in number of flights to the country, acknowledging the commencement of flights from three Chinese airlines and from Malaysia Airlines as well. Additionally, the minister underscored the increase in flights from Virgin Atlantic, Emirates and Qatar. He proclaimed that Maldives is a tourist destination welcoming all, and further revealed strong connections with several countries.
The government is firmly committed to attract two million tourists this year. However, the ministry anticipates that the actual number of tourists will reach 2.3 million.