The flag carrier of Italy, Alitalia has announced plans to launch its first ever scheduled direct flights between Italy and the Maldives on October 31.
The new three-weekly Rome-Male service will operate for the whole winter season until 24 March 2018. The decision to launch this new service was taken to meet the increasing demand for flights between the two countries, especially during the winter period. The new service is the fifth long-haul destination launched by Alitalia since last year.
Over 71,200 Italian tourists traveled to the Maldives in 2016, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism, This represents an 8.5% growth compared to the previous year and this positive trend is continuing during the first two months of 2017.
Italy ranks fourth among the originating countries for tourism to Maldives after China, Germany and the United Kingdom, and ahead of much more populated countries such as India, Russia and the United States. The average stay for Italians in the Maldives archipelago is between four and eleven nights.