CHINESE TOURISTS’ ARRIVAL TO MALDIVES AFTER 3 YEAR HIATUS

CHINESE TOURISTS’ ARRIVAL TO MALDIVES AFTER 3 YEAR HIATUS

  • 19 January 2023

Chinese visitors have returned to the Maldives following a nearly three-year break brought on by the Covid-19 outbreak. 198 Chinese visitors landed in the Maldives on January 18th through Beijing Capital Airlines' inaugural trip from China. Since March 2020, a Chinese airline has not run a direct route to the Maldives until now. In honor of greeting the first tourists from China to the Maldives in the past three years, the tourists were welcomed with traditional boduberu, a unique gift package, and flowers. A senior delegation from the governments of China and the Maldives, including ministers, ambassadors, and other top officials, attended the ceremony.

Up until February 22nd, Beijing Capital Airlines intends to run four direct flights per week to the Maldives from the Chinese capital. In the upcoming months, flights to the Maldives will also resume on two additional airlines, China Eastern and BEOND. Beginning on January 28th, China Eastern will operate regular flights on Saturdays. When Chinese tourists start visiting the Maldives again, tourism is anticipated to increase significantly.

The Ministry of Tourism projects that at least 10% of all visitors to the Maldives in the upcoming months will come from China. The Maldives Travel Agents and Tour Operators Association forecasts that during China's "Super Golden Week" early during the year, which incorporates two public holidays including the Lunar New Year, the number of Chinese tourists travelling the Maldives will significantly increase. Chinese New Year falls on January 22nd of this year.

With Chinese traveller’s spending US$255 billion internationally each year, China continues to be the world's largest market for outbound travel. Bookings have increased as a result of the easing of travel restrictions as Asia's tourism attractions get ready for a boom and airlines work to quickly increase capacity.

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