The Maldives has welcomed the first tourist visitor for the new year with a special ceremony held at Velana International Airport (VIA).
Nikolai Stratichuk from Russia arrived on an Etihad Airways flight and was greeted by senior officials from the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) along with executives from the Ministry of Tourism, Maldives Immigration and Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL). Nikolai was accompanied on his first visit to the Maldives by his family and received a five-night stay at Reethi Faru Resort. MMPRC, the tourism ministry, MACL, and telecommunications company Dhiraagu conferred their own special gifts.
Managing Director of MMPRC Thoyyib Mohamed said the Maldives tourism industry’s concerted drive to provide visitors with options to relax and rejuvenate after the effects of the global pandemic bore fruit as hundreds of thousands of visitors flocked to the Maldives with the assurances of a safe vacation. He noted that this past year has been one of immense success for the Maldives.
Last year, MMPRC conducted over 88 marketing campaigns, 42 fairs, six roadshows, 10 virtual events, 17 familiarisation trips, and 10 other events to promote the Maldives as a tourist destination. Due to these efforts, the Maldives secured the title of World’s Leading Destination for the third consecutive year, among several other accolades, at the World Travel Awards 2022.
Additionally, the Maldives reached the national tourist arrivals target set by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih for the year 2022, as the Maldives welcomed its 1.6 millionth visitor for the year two weeks ahead of the end of 2022.