The Maldives has met its tourist arrival target for 2021.
The Tourism Ministry first said 1.5 million tourists are expected to visit the Maldives this year. However, the number was revised to 1.2 million after the central bank, Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA), assessed the current situation and said 1.2 million tourists are more likely to visit under the best circumstances.
Official statistics shared by the Tourism Ministry show 1,271,020 tourists had traveled to the Maldives by December 23. However, this is a 22.8 percent decline from the pre-pandemic arrival numbers recorded in 2019. In 2019, the number of arrivals was 1,647,453, and 522,135 in 2020.
According to statistics, the average tourist arrival rate is 3,570 per day. On average, they spend 8.7 days in the Maldives.
While the number of arrivals is significantly higher than 2020, the number of bed nights also exceeded expectations. Although MMA estimated 7.5 million bed nights, the number has crossed 10 million thus far this year.
Tourist arrival numbers by country
India: 286,434
Russia: 214,232
Germany: 90,732
UK: 58,514
USA: 54,220
Saudi Arabia: 39,701
Spain: 36,274
Ukraine: 33,779
France: 28,293
Switzerland: 23,806
