Chinese and Russian tourist arrivals to the Maldives have increased significantly compared with the same period last year. China and Russia remain the country's two largest source markets for visitors, as they were last year.
According to statistics released by the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, 1,173,922 tourists had visited the Maldives as of 18 July this year. This represents a 4.7 percent decline compared with the same period last year.
Despite the overall drop in total arrivals, China continues to rank as the Maldives' largest tourism market, followed by Russia in second place. While total visitor numbers have fallen, arrivals from several individual markets have grown, including China and Russia.
As of 18 July this year, 195,363 tourists had arrived from China, compared with 170,210 during the same period last year. This marks an increase of 14.7 percent.
Russia, the second-largest source market, also recorded growth. By the same date this year, 167,314 Russian tourists had visited the Maldives, up from 142,899 during the corresponding period last year, representing a 17 percent increase.
So far this year, 834,816 tourists have stayed at resorts, while 262,171 have chosen guesthouses. Hotels accommodated 27,523 visitors, and 22,381 tourists stayed on safari vessels, according to the Tourism Ministry's statistics.