On the long-awaited date of January 18th, 2023, the Maldives welcomed its first batch of tourists from China, marking an end to the prolonged hiatus.
Source: Velana Airport
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese tourists had been one of the most significant and sought-after markets in the enchanting tropical paradise of the Maldives.
However, the outbreak of the pandemic brought the global travel industry to a standstill, and the Maldives as well as China were no exception. The once-thriving influx of Chinese tourists dwindled to a mere trickle as countries imposed travel restrictions and lockdown measures to curb the spread of the virus.
As the pandemic persisted, China experienced an unprecedented three-year-long lockdown, leading to a lack of Chinese tourist arrivals in the Maldives. Nevertheless, after three long years of anticipation and stringent pandemic control measures, China finally took the momentous step of reopening its borders to international travel in 2023.
On the long-awaited date of January 18th, 2023, the Maldives welcomed its first batch of tourists from China, marking an end to the prolonged haitus. With this, people had already started anticipating that Chinese tourists were sure to take back their position in the tourist arrivals of the Maldives.
It appears now that this anticipation has come true as the Ministry of Tourism of the Maldives has announced China as the third strongest source market with 91,555 tourist arrivals as of July 2023. This means that Chinese tourists have now replaced the spot that was long-held by the United Kingdom during and after the COVID-19 measures in the Maldives.
While Chinese tourists have managed to mark the third place in the source market, the first place is still being held by Russia with Indian tourists marking a close second.
