Number of tourist arrivals in the Maldives since reopening of borders has reached 100,000.
During a grand event held at Velana International Airport (VIA), the 100,000th tourist was identified by the Ministry of Tourism, together with Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), Maldives Immigration and Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL). The 100,000th tourist, Ms. Jasmin Burki, arrived from Switzerland via Emirates on December 12. On arrival, she was escorted outside by officials of Ministry of Tourism, Maldives Immigration, MACL and MMPRC.
Following the arrival of the 100,000th tourist since border reopening, Minister of Tourism Dr. Abdulla Mausoom said this was an important milestone reached in the efforts to recover the Maldivian tourism industry following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. He expressed gratitude to all travel and tourism industry partners, employees and related authorities for their role in helping the Maldives reach this milestone.
Maldives reopened its borders for tourists on July 15, more than three months after borders were closed due to COVID-19. Since the reopening of borders, several international airlines have resumed operations to the Maldives.
As per the forecasts of the Ministry of Tourism, with consideration to travel and tourism trends and growth in arrivals, number of tourist arrivals in 2020 is expected to be over 525,000, including the arrivals recorded before borders were closed in March. The tourism ministry forecasts 1.5 million tourist arrivals and 10 million bednights during 2021.