Nearly 16,000 Cruise Passengers Visit Maldives So Far This Year

The Maldives has welcomed nearly 16,000 visitors who arrived in the country on cruise liners so far this year, according to figures released by Maldives Immigration.

Statistics show that a total of 15,958 people have arrived in the Maldives on ten cruise ships since the beginning of the year. The most recent arrival was on Saturday, when more than 900 passengers reached the country from Mumbai aboard the cruise ship MS Sirena.

Cruise liner arrivals have been recorded throughout the first three months of the year. On January 12, the Maldives received 970 passengers, followed by 1,037 arrivals on January 23. In February, the country recorded 165 arrivals on February 7, 3,904 arrivals on February 14, 2,553 arrivals on February 16 and 1,037 arrivals on February 19. In March, arrivals included 2,736 passengers on March 4, 1,210 on March 12, 1,348 on March 13 and 998 passengers on March 14.

The government is also working to develop three designated jetties across the Maldives to support the growth of cruise tourism and facilitate easier access for visiting liners.

Tourist arrivals to the Maldives have surpassed 540,000 so far this year. Although this figure is higher than the number recorded during the same period last year, statistics indicate a sharp 23.6 per cent decline in arrivals following the closure of airspace in parts of the Middle East due to the ongoing conflict involving Iran.