The Maldives has successfully achieved its annual tourism target by welcoming 1.8 million visitors. This significant milestone was celebrated with a special ceremony at Velana International Airport at 2:55 pm today.
Initially, the goal set by the previous government was slightly more ambitious, aiming to attract 1.9 million tourists by the end of the year. However, with just 10,000 tourists short and only ten days left in the year, surpassing this initial target seems less likely.
This year, Russia emerged as the top contributor to the Maldivian tourism sector, with 200,000 Russian tourists visiting the islands. India was a close second with 199,000 tourists, while China ranked third with 183,000 visitors.
There has been a noticeable shift in the average duration of tourist stays in the Maldives. This month, tourists stayed for an average of 7.4 days, which is a decrease from last November and a six percent reduction from December of the previous year. The holiday period in January and February saw an average stay of eight days.
Overall, there’s been a slight decline in the average length of stays compared to last year, dropping from eight days to 7.6 days this year. Despite this, reaching the 1.8 million tourist mark is a commendable achievement for the Maldives tourism industry.
