Tourist arrivals and international flight arrivals increase

From January to September of this year the Maldives had 11,070 international flight arrivals in the Maldives.

Source: Twitter @VelanaAirport

Source: Twitter @VelanaAirport

With December approaching and the year 2022 coming to an end, the time to plan for the new year as well as the festive season has officially started ticking. December is the usual time when vacation goers start planning their big annual trips aimed to celebrate the end of the year as well as Christmas while getting a hefty discount on their flights, hotels and everything in between as Black Friday falls on the perfect time.

This is also the time when tourists arrivals increase in tropical countries such as the Maldives as travellers start looking for a cosy, sunny location to celebrate the end of the year, making the Maldives an ideal destination that is usually on everyone’s bucket list of places that need to be visited at least once a year. 

With that, the Maldivian tourist arrival rates usually start increasing as December draws closer, and airlines, resorts as well as hotels get fully booked – making last-minute trips to any resort or island in the Maldives almost an impossible task.

Especially this year, the numbers are certain to be higher as this is the first year for many travellers to visit countries without any restrictions, making it a vacation that many have been looking forward to during the two-year nationwide lockdown.

This year marks the perfect year for the Maldives to reach high tourist arrivals as the country celebrates the 50-year anniversary of the country’s tourism industry. In addition to all the remarkable awards the Maldivian islands took home in the tourism industry, Maldives also recently won the Indian Oceans’ leading destination award 2022 at the African and Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony of World Travel Awards. 

In addition to this, the countries’ tourist arrival rates have also increased compared to 2021, with the tourist arrival rates in August alone being 51 percent higher in 2022. And with the high arrival numbers, it is no surprise that international flight movements have also increased.

According to statistics from the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA), from January to September of this year the Maldives had 11,070 international flight arrivals in the Maldives. 

In addition to the increase in the tourist arrival rates in the Maldives in 2022, the increment in international flights to the Maldives increasing targeted towards the winter season has also been a big factor towards the increased international flights in the Maldives.  With the tourist arrival already having reached beyond the total arrivals of 2021 before the end of the year is definitely an accomplishment for the Maldives’ travel and tourism industry. 

With over 25 different international flights flying to the Maldives as of November 2022, and the most festive seasons coming up if you still haven’t planned your trip to the Maldives these might be the final opportunity before everything gets fully booked in this country! 

More from MFR