Tourist Arrivals in the Maldives Surge, China Leads the Way

The Ministry of Tourism has revealed that tourist arrivals from China to the Maldives have reached 202,000 so far this year. This figure represents 15 per cent of the total number of visitors to the archipelago.

Overall, the Maldives has welcomed 1.3 million tourists in 2024. The government has set a target of attracting two million visitors by the end of the year. To meet this goal, an additional 700,000 tourists are needed over the next four months.

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Following China, the top countries contributing to tourist numbers are Russia, with 150,000 visitors; the United Kingdom, with 120,000; Italy, with 102,000; and Germany, with 97,000.

Tourist arrivals in August saw a 14 per cent increase compared to the same month last year. However, the first week of September experienced a 3 per cent decline in arrivals compared to the same period in 2023. The average number of daily arrivals this month stands at 3,900.

The government is also focusing on increasing visitors from India. India had the highest number of tourists last year. To date, 83,000 Indian tourists have visited, with plans to elevate India to third place in visitor numbers by the end of the year.