Ministry of Tourism has stated discussions are ongoing regarding the resumption of tourist arrivals from China.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, China had been contributing the largest number of tourists to the Maldives. However, with the closure of borders last year and subsequent restrictions imposed by China due to COVID-19, tourist arrivals from China have come to a halt.
Speaking to PSM News, Deputy Minister of Tourism Ahmed Athif said discussions are ongoing regarding the return of Chinese tourists to the Maldives. However, Athif said it all depends on the decisions taken by the Chinese government on the current restrictions. He expressed hope the Chinese market will be opened soon.
As per the statistics of the tourism ministry, 284,029 of the 1.7 million tourists that visited the Maldives in 2019 were from China. This represents 16.7% of tourist arrivals recorded in 2019.