One of the nations hardest hit by the pandemic was indeed Maldives. A nation very much dependent on catering to tourists with its world-renowned tourism industry, promising signs, and indications that it can regain its foothold on the world stage as one of the most visited tourist destinations is once again on display.
The Maldives effectively closed its borders in full despair back in March due to the outbreak of the pandemic. Only managing to reopen after four months, the nation quickly got back to business with welcoming tourists.
A nation that received 1.7 million tourists last year, had received just above 400,000 in the first three months of 2020 before the lockdown. Even this was promising and indicated that it was well on its way to beating the record of last year. Then the pandemic hit and it was forced to close down.
Official reopening in July, tourist arrival figures have been observed as slowly but steadily going up. Since the Maldives reopened its borders on July 15, it has now received over 50,000 tourists, according to Tourism Ministry statistics. In total, it has now received a total of 51,354 tourists.
From November 1-11, the nation has received 10,972 tourists. This is nearly 50 percent of all tourist arrivals in October, indicating even more promising numbers to come with the upcoming tourist peak season. In October, the nation recorded 21,515 tourists.
Russian tourists have been recorded as the highest in terms of arrivals to the nation with 11,240 tourists. Next is the UK, with 4,468 tourists. The USA comes in third place with 3,927 tourists. In 2020, a total of 434,201 tourists have visited the nation. This is inclusive of tourist arrivals before the lockdown.
