‘Fastest million’: Indian honeymooner becomes 2025’s one millionth visitor to Maldives

An Indian honeymooner became the one millionth tourist to visit the Maldives this year on Saturday, marking the fastest that the island destination has achieve a million tourist arrivals in its history.

Kajal Singh – a first-time visitor to the Maldives - and her husband arrived in the Maldives on IndiGo flight 6E 1131 at 12:55 pm on Saturday.

The young couple are spending their honeymoon at Malahini Kuda Bandos.

Visit Maldives, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Environment and Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), hosted a special celebratory event at Velana International Airport (VIA) to celebrate their arrival.

Tourism Minister Thoriq Ibrahim, who personally welcomed Singh to Maldives, expressed pride at the milestone.

"This milestone fills us with immense pride, reflecting the successful culmination of our destination marketing initiatives that showcase the true essence of the Maldivian experience, he said.

He described the fast achievement of one million visitors as a powerful indicator of Maldives’ global appeal.

"Welcoming one million tourists with such unprecedented speed is a powerful indicator of our global appeal, and I extend my sincere appreciation to all the hardworking individuals across the tourism sector whose dedication made this achievement possible,” he said.

In a gesture highlighting the Maldives’ commitment to environmental sustainability, Kajal was invited to participate in the ‘Five Million Trees’ campaign launched by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, by planting a tree at Hulhule’, the island where the VIA is situation.

Ibrahim Shiuree, the CEO and Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), described the milestone as a clear indicator that Maldives is well on its way to achieving the annual arrivals target of 2.3 million visitors set for this year.

 “We are thrilled to celebrate this milestone with all our stakeholders, whose dedication and hard work are invaluable. Our commitment doesn't end here; we are continually working to enhance the Maldives' tourism industry and ensure the Sunny Side of Life remains a dream destination for everyone,” he added.

The Maldives welcomed a record two million tourist arrivals last year. The island destination, which won the award for the World Travel Awards (WTA) World's Leading Destination for the fifth consecutive year in 2024, expects to raise tourist arrivals to 2.3 million this year.