The Maldives has welcomed its two millionth tourist of the year, marking an unprecedented achievement in the nation’s history. This significant milestone was celebrated with a ceremonial event at Velana International Airport (VIA).
For the first time in its 52-year history of tourism, the Maldives has exceeded two million visitors. This remarkable achievement was realised when Astrid Dirnegger from Austria touched down in Malé on an Austrian Airlines flight from Vienna.
The ceremony to welcome Ms Dirnegger was attended by Minister of Tourism Ibrahim Faisal as the guest of honour. The event also saw the attendance of Ibrahim Shiuree, Managing Director of the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC); Ibrahim Shareef Mohamed, Managing Director of the Maldives Airports Company Ltd. (MACL); and senior representatives from Maldives Immigration.
To achieve the target of over two million tourists this year, the administration, in collaboration with key stakeholders including the tourism ministry and MMPRC, undertook extensive tourism promotion activities. February 2024 stood out as a remarkable month, setting a record for the highest number of tourist arrivals in a single month, with over 200,000 visitors, as reported by the tourism ministry's statistics.
Looking ahead to 2025, the administration has set a new target of attracting over 2.2 million tourists. As part of these initiatives, the administration is working to complete the construction of the new passenger terminal at VIA with the goal of opening it next year. According to the government, the opening of this new terminal is expected to significantly boost tourist arrivals while enhancing the services provided to tourists and other passengers travelling to and from the Maldives.
This surge in tourist numbers aligns with the administration’s strategic efforts to promote and diversify the tourism sector. As part of these initiatives, the national carrier, Maldivian, is scheduled to commence international flights using wide-body aircraft in January. The inaugural flights will be to Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu in China, with plans to expand to various European countries. The government anticipates that the deployment of wide-body aircraft will significantly enhance tourist arrivals by targeting major tourism markets worldwide.