Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer has stated the Maldivian tourism industry is expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels early next year.
Speaking at a press conference, Minister Ameer said tourist arrivals in the Maldives have been increasing steadily since the reopening of borders, noting the number of tourist arrivals in the first four months of 2021 has exceeded the initial projections made for this period. As such, he noted the number of tourist arrivals during the first four months of 2021 represented 60% of the figure recorded during the same period of 2019, which is better than the projections.
The minister further noted the projected number of tourist arrivals for 2021 has also been increased from 600,000 to 1 million, due to the improved tourist activity. He added the tourism industry is expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels by early next year.
As per the statistics of the Ministry of Tourism, 445,558 tourists have visited the Maldives this year, as of May 25. Last year, the Maldives recorded 555,494 tourist arrivals amid a three-month shutdown of borders due to COVID-19. In 2019, the country recorded its highest ever number of tourist arrivals in a single year, with over 1.7 million tourist arrivals.