MALDIVES WELCOMES THE FIRST TOURIST OF 2023!
The first visitor to the Maldives in 2023 has arrived. Russian visitor Nikolai Stratichuk arrived in the Maldives on Sunday. Stratichuk was awarded a five-night stay at the Reethi Faru Resort for being the first traveler to the Maldives this year. The Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), the Ministry of Tourism, and Dhiraagu all gave him gifts as well. Thoyyib Mohamed, the CEO and managing director of MMPRC, spoke at the welcoming ceremony to express his gratitude for the recognition the Maldives gained last year.
While Russia brought in the Maldives' first visitor of 2023, the country's source market remained the second-strongest in 2022. By December 28, there were 198,670 Russian tourists who had arrived. On December 20, 2022, Maldives met its goal of 1.6 million visitors; on December 28, that number had increased to 1.66 million. The Maldives' government has stated that it expects 1.8 million visitors by 2023.