Statistics published by Tourism Ministry show that the Maldives recorded over 129,000 tourist arrivals in the first 18 days of this year.
As per the statistics, Maldives recorded a total of 129,201 tourist arrivals as of Sunday, up from 117,532 tourist arrivals recorded during the same period last year, marking a 10 percent increase.
The highest number of tourist arrivals has been recorded from Russia at 19,945, followed by Italy in second with 14,722 arrivals and the UK in third with 11,065 arrivals.
China, which topped tourist arrivals to the Maldives last year, is fourth on the list with 8,725 arrivals.
The majority of tourists who traveled to the Maldives spend their vacation at resorts, accounting for 69.9 percent of the total arrivals, which is 88,900 tourists.
Maldives recorded 2.25 million tourist arrivals last year, falling short of the government’s target of 2.3 million. However, the government projects that 2.4 million tourists will visit the Maldives this year.