Ambassador of the Maldives to China Aishath Azeema has stated the Government of the Maldives is working to increase the number of tourist arrivals from China.
The largest number of tourist visits to the Maldives were from China prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the number of Chinese tourists decreased significantly after the Government of China implemented strict COVID-19 measures and closed the country's borders.
Speaking to PSM News, Ambassador Azeema said the government began marketing the Maldives in China after reopening the country's borders following the lockdown in June 2020. The ambassador said marketing efforts are being made on social media to increase and strengthen the branding of the Maldives as a safe travel destination. She said discussions were held for the Chinese government to support efforts to increase Chinese tourist arrivals to the Maldives, during State Councillor and Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi's official visit. She said the Chinese government has given its full support in promoting the Maldives as a top travel destination.
Statistics from the Ministry of Tourism show 284,000 of the 1.7 million tourist arrivals recorded in 2019 were visitors from China, which is 17% of the total tourist arrivals.