The Embassy of China has stated that Chinese travel agencies and online travel companies are preparing to resume group outbound flights to the Maldives from February 6.
The Maldives is one of the most popular destinations for Chinese citizens after the reopening of the Chinese border. As such, the country’s tour operators and travel agents are ready to start group trips, according to the Chinese Embassy. The Maldives is the fourth most visited destination among Chinese tourists before the COVID-19 pandemic.
China is resuming group flights to a total of 20 countries. In addition, China is scheduling two more airlines to the Maldives. They are China Eastern Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines. China Eastern Airlines will operate flights from January 28 to March 25. The flights will be operated from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to Velana International Airport (VIA). The airline will use 232-seat aircraft during these flights and operate one flight per week. Meanwhile, Hong Kong Airlines will start flights to the Maldives in January and the flights will continue until March 23. The airline will operate three flights a week from Hong Kong International Airport to VIA. The airline will use 292-seat aircraft during these flights.
China was the top source market for tourist arrivals in the Maldives before the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the Ministry of Tourism, 284,029 tourists arrived in the Maldives from China in 2019. However, tourists from China have not visited the Maldives in the past three years due to the country's travel measures.
China's first flight with 198 tourists arrived following the easing of measures to control the spread of COVID-19. The tourists arrived on Beijing Capital Airlines.