According to the World Tourism Organization UNWTO, while many countries closed tourism, by the end of July 2021, Maldives welcomed more than 575,000 international visitors, an increase of 50% compared to 2020.
Visitor numbers to the Maldives are rising as restrictions are eased, while major markets such as Russia and India are recovering at a rapid pace, plus new markets from Europe and the Middle East.
Russian visitors lead the way in terms of numbers, accounting for 23.8% with nearly 137,000 arrivals. The boom in Russian tourists helps Maldives make up for the shortage of tourists.
The luxury resort Soneva in the Maldives reported that Russian tourists accounted for 30% of bookings in the first half of this year, double the level in 2020 and up 80% compared to 2019. "While the average stay in the Maldives is 9 nights, Russian guests tend to stay around 12 nights. When Covid-19 broke out last year, many tourists even stayed 3 months or longer," said a representative of the resort.
China, once the island nation's main market, now has just 738 tourists coming here in the first 6 months of the year, down 97% compared to the 33,889 in the same period in 2020.
The Maldives hopes to welcome 1.5 million visitors by the end of this year, close to the record 1.7 million in 2019. Since opening to tourism in July last year, the Maldives has opened 728 tourist facilities, including 154 resorts, 425 guesthouses and 139 cruise ships. Many luxury resorts on isolated islands have earned up to $1 million a week from high-end guests.
