Travel & Culture

Maldives welcomes one millionth tourist of the year

Published

3 days ago

27/06/2024

Sutapa Amornvivat, a woman from Thailand, has become the one millionth tourist to visit the Maldives this year.

Amornvivat arrived in the Maldives at 11:15 am on Thursday, on AirAsia flight FD 175.

Amornvivat, who is visiting the Maldives on holiday with her family, is staying at the Niyama Private Islands Maldives, a picturesque resort located in Dhaalu Atoll.

This marks her third trip to the Maldives. The first was on her honeymoon.

Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC), in partnership with the Tourism Ministry, hosted a special event at the airport, to celebrate her arrival, as it set a great milestone.

Amornvivat, as the one millionth tourist, received a special holiday courtesy of the Sun Siyam Resorts, a hotel chain which runs multiple luxury tourist properties in the Maldives.

Tourist Minister Ibrahim Faisal said that reaching the milestone of one million tourist arrivals is a testament to the enduring allure of the Maldives, and the unwavering dedication of tourism industry stakeholders.

“I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all our partners, from travel agencies to hospitality providers, whose commitment and hard work have made this achievement possible,” he told reporters at the airport. “Together, we continue to set new standards of excellence and create unforgettable experiences for our visitors.”

According to the national tourism promotion board, February was a record-breaking month, as Maldives experienced the highest number of arrivals in a single month, with more than 217,394 visitors.

MMPRC said that Thursday’s celebration emphasizes the strategic efforts of MMPRC and the government to further enhance tourism plans.

“It is a tribute to the combined efforts of the Maldives’ tourism industry to have welcomed one million tourists earlier than the previous year. This achievement is on course to President Dr Muizzu’s 2 million national tourist arrival target,” said Ibrahim Shiuree, the CEO and Managing Director of MMPRC.

He said that the corporation’s dedication doesn’t end there.

“We’re always working to enhance the Maldives’ travel industry, and make sure Sunny Side of Life continues to be a dream destination for everyone,” he said.

Maldives, which won the award for the WTA World’s Leading Destination for the fourth consecutive year in 2023, expects a record 2 million tourist arrivals this year.

MMPRC said that it has been actively involved in marketing and promoting Maldives throughout this year, working towards arrival target.

The tourism promotion board participated in key marketing fairs and campaigns that were carried out this year, particularly within the top five markets: China, Russia, the U.K., Italy, and Germany.

The MMPRC also took part in ATM, ITB Berlin, and ITB China – which are some of the biggest fairs of the year.

Source(s): sun.mv

Travel & Culture

China’s Chongqing Airlines commences flights to Maldives

Published

4 days ago

26/06/2024

Chongqing Airlines of China has inaugurated its flights to the Maldives, with the first flight landing at Velana International Airport (VIA) on June 24, after a stopover in Sri Lanka.

A special ceremony was held to celebrate the airline’s maiden flight to the country, which arrived with 82 passengers. During the event, Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL)’s Managing Director Ibrahim Shareef Mohamed emphasised the company’s role as a vital link between the Maldivian tourism industry and the world. He reaffirmed MACL’s commitment to working with tourism industry stakeholders to attract more airlines.

Shareef highlighted that the introduction of flights from additional Chinese cities would significantly benefit the Maldivian economy.

Chinese Ambassador to the Maldives, Wang Lixing, also spoke at the ceremony, noting that the summer holidays are expected to draw a substantial number of tourists to the Maldives. She underscored the importance of having flights from various parts of China to enhance connectivity.

The event was attended by Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal, Chongqing Airlines Vice President, and officials from the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO), and MACL.

Chongqing Airlines is set to operate three weekly flights to the Maldives using A320 aircraft, each with a 165-seat capacity.

Currently, three other Chinese airlines—Beijing Capital Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, and China Eastern Airlines—operate flights to the Maldives. China remains the top tourist market for the Maldives, with over 113,000 Chinese tourists visiting so far this year, according to the Ministry of Tourism.

Source(s): PsmNews

Travel & Culture

Maldivian schedules over 100 additional flights for Eid

Published

3 weeks ago

06/06/2024

The national airline, Maldivian, is scheduled to conduct over 100 additional flights for the Eid al-Adha holidays, which begins later this month.

A spokesperson from Maldivian told Sun on Thursday that the airline decided to conduct additional flights to meet the rise in demand for domestic travel during the holidays.

As such, the airline plans on conducting more than 100 flights to 16 destinations.

Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr, as well as school holidays, see a sharp rise in demand for domestic flights. The national airline conducts additional flights during holidays, to meet the rise in demand.

Maldivian has a domestic fleet of 15 aircrafts.

The decision to increase domestic flights comes after the Maldivian government decided to hold official Eid celebrations in three locations. In:

R. Ungoofaaru
Dh. Kudahuvadhoo
GA. Vilingili

According to the calendar, Eid al-Adha is expected to begin on Monday, June 17. Therefore, Maldivians will receive a long nine-day holiday, with the weekend before, and Hajj Day.

Source(s): sun.mv

Travel & Culture

Chinese Ambassador expects Chinese arrivals to surge in July, August

Published

1 month ago

20/05/2024

The Chinese Ambassador to the Maldives Wang Lixin has announced that a significant increase of Chinese tourists is expected in July and August this year. The statement comes amid a rising number of Chinese tourist arrivals to the Maldives.

Speaking at a press conference at the Chinese Embassy, Ambassador Lixin highlighted that China is already among the top contributors to tourist arrivals in the Maldives. She noted that the number of Chinese tourists is expected to increase during the upcoming Chinese holiday season. She also said that approximately 87,466 Chinese tourists had visited the Maldives as of May 5, representing 11% of the total market share.

Additionally, Ambassador Lixin said that July and August coincide with the school holidays for many Chinese students, prompting a large number of Chinese citizens to travel abroad. As such, she said that a substantial increase in Chinese tourists visiting the Maldives is expected during this period.

Furthermore, Ambassador Lixin said that the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) will have the chance to promote Maldivian tourism at ITB China in May. She described the event as a valuable opportunity for the MMPRC to boost its presence in the Chinese market ahead of the holiday season.

The latest statistics released by the Ministry of Tourism reveal that China has contributed the highest number of tourist arrivals to the Maldives this year. Over 92,000 Chinese tourists had visited the Maldives by May 14, accounting for 11.1% of the total tourist arrivals so far.

Source(s): PsmNews