Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) Thoyyib Mohamed has revealed 1.67 million tourists visited Maldives in 2019.
Speaking to a function held at the airport to welcome the first tourist to Maldives in 2020, Managing Director Thoyyib said MMPRC aims to market Maldives better and attract more tourists. While the administration expected to attract 1.5 million visitors to Maldives last year, the target was reached on November 24, 2019, over 30 days in advance.
Speaking at the gathering, Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed said it has been decided to count tourist arrivals by including cruise liners to keep an accurate number of arrivals. Tourist arrivals by sea has not been included in the arrival counts in the past. He said the safari industry is an important segment of the tourism industry.
The administration targets to bring 2 million tourists to Maldives in 2020 as part of its pledge of attracting annually 2.5 million tourists by the end of the five-year term in 2023.