Tourist arrivals to the Maldives surpassed 353,000 as of 17th April 2021. According to the figures from the Maldives’ Ministry of Tourism, the island nation has witnessed 353,789 tourist arrivals from 1st January to 17th April 2021.
During this period, Maldives recorded a daily average of 3,306 arrivals. Furthermore, holidaymakers spent an average of 8.9 days in the island archipelago. From 1st April 2021 to 17th April 2021, Maldives recorded 55,219 tourist arrivals. In 2020, the borders of the Maldives were closed in April due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recently, the Tourism Ministry of the Maldives announced some changes to the travel restrictions, once again pushing ahead of the competition. Visitors to the island nation would no longer need to quarantine if they received the final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine 14 days before their arrival in the Maldives. This change will be effective from 20th April 2021 onwards.
Holidaymakers will need to submit proof they received an approved vaccine. Travellers can submit the certificate via the IMUGA platform (imuga.immigration.gov.mv) before travel.
The Maldives witnessed the highest number of tourist arrivals from India and Russia. Other top markets include; Ukraine, Germany, Kazakhstan, United Kingdom, Romania, the United States, Czech Republic and France. India was the leading individual source market of 2020 as well.
Also read: The Maldives Eases Travel Restrictions
From 1st January 2021 to 14th January 2021, tourist arrivals from Uzbekistan grew by a staggering 578% compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, arrivals from Kazakhstan grew by 425.7% and arrivals from Ukraine increased by 323.8%.
Speaking on CNBC International, the Tourism Minister of the Maldives, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom announced plans to launch a ‘visit, vaccinate, vacation’ initiative. Earlier the tourism ministry also revealed that tourists will spend over 10 million bed nights in the Maldives in 2021.
Feature image by Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi
