According to the Ministry of Tourism, over 700,000 tourists have visited the Maldives so far in 2023, showing a 6.4% increase compared to the 667,700 tourists during the same period in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The statistics also revealed a 17.5% increase compared to 640,730 tourists during the same period in 2022. However, in the first five days of May this year, the number of tourists visiting the Maldives decreased by 19.9% compared to the same period in 2022 and increased by 3.3% compared to the same period in 2019.
Moreover, there has been a recent surge in tourist arrivals from China, which was the top source market until the pandemic. Chinese tourists began visiting the Maldives again after the country re-opened its borders. To date, 4.7 million tourists have arrived from China, currently the sixth top source market.
The Ministry of Tourism aims to record 1.9 million tourist visits this year, a promising target given the recent uptick in tourist arrivals.
