After turning the page on 2020 with the accolade for World's Leading Destination, the Maldives welcomed 2021 as one of the most trending tourist destinations on the planet, well, according to Lonely Planet.

Travel guide Lonely Planet’s list of top six tourist destinations that travelers are looking forward to this year, included Maldives as well as Italy, Mexico, and Las Vegas in the same breath.

The year 2020, although full of hardships, saw Maldives win the prestigious Leading Destination Award at the World Travel Awards 2020, among other awards. The award is often referred to as the Oscars of tourism and is the top tourist destination award.

Maldives was among the first tourist destinations to reopen its borders after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted travel and tourism worldwide. The island destination has since been receiving an ever-increasing number of tourists.

The nation has also enjoyed considerable growth with previously low performing source markets such as Central Asia and Americas which are now emerging as key markets.

The inclusion of Maldives in Lonely Planet’s top 6 trending destinations comes after the country’s guesthouse hub K. Maafushi made it on to Airbnb’s list of top guesthouse destinations.

Individual resorts in Maldives are also dominating different global travel platforms.

Maldives has been recording an increase in tourist arrivals since November, and is experiencing an increase in tourist arrivals in private jets compared to previous years. The nation is currently open to all tourists, provided they have proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken maximum 96 hours before departure from their original destination. Tourists are issued 30-day visa upon arrival.