This exception would allow citizens from both countries to visit the other country on an on-arrival tourist visa for 30 days, making travel between China and the Maldives easier than ever.
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China and Maldives have always had close relations whether it is on Government levels or at business-community levels.
Over the years, there have been many instances where this close relationship between the two countries has been highlighted such as the construction of China Maldives friendship bridge in 2018 and the major help provided by the Chinese Government during the COVID-19 pandemic as they donated vaccines to the Maldives to help reduce the infection rates in the country.
And now, the close relations between the two countries are yet again coming to be beneficial for both countries that are major tourist destinations. On February 17, 2023, the Maldives Government and the Chinese Government facilitated mutual visa exemption between the two countries. While this agreement was signed at the start of 2022, due to the COVID-19 restrictions that only got lifted recently in China, the agreement only came into effect on February 17, 2023.
This exception would allow citizens from both countries to visit the other country on an on-arrival-tourist visa for 30 days, making travel between China and the Maldives easier than ever.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese visitor market was one of the highest in the Maldives, and Chinese airlines recently landed the first flight in the Maldives after a three-year-long hiatus following the pandemic. While the visitor arrival rates have already climbed to the top ten markets, with this new on-arrival visa, we might see a hike in Chinese visitor rates as well.
