On Wednesday, Velana International Airport (VIA) welcomes the first flight from Xiamen Airlines to The Maldives. The airline received the ceremonial water salute as its inaugural flight from Fuzhou to The Maldives commenced.
Xiamen Airlines, established in 1984 is one of the top airlines in China, with its headquarters in Xiamen. The airline has fleet of 211 crafts, operating over 400 domestic and international routes. And now the Maldives is a new additional destination for the airline. Currently the airline is making charter trips to the Maldives, with this Wednesdays trip being the first of many to come.
Xiamen Airlines will be conducting additional flights on February 18th and 22nd on charter basis as well. Both of these flights are set to be direct flights bringing passengers from Fujian, China to the Maldives.
After a long hiatus, tourist arrivals from China to the Maldives is yet again on the rise. Although Chinese travellers marked the top spot prior to the pandemic, travellers from India and Russia had marked the spot for the past few years. This year, however, it appears that tourist arrivals from China are back to being on the rise.
According to statistics from the Tourism Ministry, Chinese tourist account for 13.7% of arrivals so far. With the Government aiming to welcome 2 million tourists to the country this year, Chinese travellers are one of the target markets.
