Russia continues to dominate tourist arrivals

Statistics released by the Tourism Ministry shows Russia leading tourist arrivals to Maldives from January-April.

The weekly updates show Maldives recorded 71,989 arrivals from Russia as of April 12, making for 12.1 percent of the market share.

In second place is India, with 62, 415 arrivals, followed by the United Kingdom with 58,584 arrivals.

Maldives has recorded an impressive 592,605 arrivals so far this year – a 20 percent increase compared to the same period last year. The average duration of stay is eight days.

The island destination has 1,235 tourist accommodations, including 174 resorts, 13 hotels, 895 guesthouses, and 153 liveaboards. They have 61,410 beds between them.

Russia had been the second biggest source market for tourist arrivals to Maldives in 2020. The country recorded 61,387 arrivals from Russia that year – which saw the closure of the country’s borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Russia had been the sixth biggest source market in 2019, with 83,369 arrivals.

Maldives has seen arrivals upwards of 60,000 from Russia since 2016.  The country saw 220,213 arrivals from Russia in 2021. However, the numbers had dropped with the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, resulting in the country falling from being the top source market to the second top source market that year with 201,957 arrivals. Russia retained the top spot in January.