The Maldives Association of Yacht Agents (MAYA) has stated that two cruise ships had arrived in Addu City with a large number of tourists.
Many cruise ships started arriving in the Maldives in 2022 after the cruise ships were temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The cruise ships started arriving during the peak tourist season in the country.
According to MAYA, two cruise ships, MV Artania and Coral Expedition arrived in Feydhoo, Addu. Coral Expedition brought 50 tourists and MV Artiana brought 1,200 tourists. The tourists from the cruise ships were warmly welcomed by the Addu City Council.
MAYA stated that nine cruise ships have been scheduled to arrive in the Maldives so far. The cruise ships are larger than those that arrived last year. As such, a 3,000 passenger cruise ship and a 2,100 passenger cruise ship are scheduled to arrive soon. In addition, tour cruise ships with a capacity of 1,000-1,500 passengers and three cruise ships with a capacity of 300-700 passengers are also scheduled to arrive in the Maldives in the coming days. MAYA also stated that the number of tourists arriving in the Maldives is estimated to be 12,000 depending on the space of these cruise ships.