The Maldives once again shattered its single-day tourist arrival record by welcoming 10,213 visitors on Saturday. This milestone underscores the nation’s robust recovery in the tourism sector after the pandemic, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
This achievement surpasses the previous single-day arrival record set in 2019, when the country received over 9,000 visitors.
Ibrahim Faisal, the Minister of Tourism, lauded this accomplishment on social media, expressing his gratitude to all industry stakeholders. He commended the collective efforts of the Ministry of Tourism team and industry partners and urged them to “work hard to keep this momentum going!”
The Maldives set a single-day arrival record on 3 February by welcoming 8,900 tourists, the first such record in the post-pandemic era.
As of 11 February, the Maldives had seen a 16.6 percent increase in tourist arrivals compared to last year, with 279,234 tourists. The daily average of tourist arrivals in 2024 is recorded at 6,648.
China is the top source market for the Maldives this year, with 30,199 Chinese visitors accounting for 10.8 percent of the market share. This development aligns with the government’s strategic push to make China the top source market for the Maldives in 2024.
Following China, Russia and Italy are the second and third top source markets, respectively. India, which held the top spot for 2023, now ranks fifth with 18,311 visitors.
In 2023, the Maldives welcomed 1,878,543 tourists and has set a national target of attracting over two million visitors this year. However, Minister Faisal anticipates that, given the current arrival trends, the Maldives could attract over 2.3 million tourists this year.