Maldives (Commonwealth Union)_ A special ceremony was organized at Velana International Airport (VIA) to welcome Maldives’ first tourist of the year. Around 6:05 am, Etihad Airways EY278 arrived in the Maldives carrying the first visitor of the year. Accordingly, senior representatives from the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) and executives from the Ministry of Tourism, Maldives Immigration, and Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) welcomed the first guest, Nikolai Stratichuk, from Russia.
This is the first journey for Nikolai and his family to the Maldives. The first guest of 2023 was granted a five-night stay at the Reethi Faru Resort. In addition to this, the first visitor also received gifts from MMPRC, the Ministry of Tourism, MACL, and Dhiraagu. Last year, with the arrival of its 1,600,000th visitor on December 19, 2022, the Maldives met its tourist arrival goal for the year 2022.
In his presentation at the opening of Parliament for the year on February 3, 2022, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih declared the government’s goal to welcome over 1.6 million visitors. With the joint efforts of key government agencies, the private sector, and industry players, the Maldives achieved its goal. The golden jubilee year of tourism holds a record for tourism-related achievements. As a result, the Maldives has been named the World’s Leading Destination for three consecutive years.
During the event, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of MMPRC expressed his joy over the honors and awards obtained by the Maldives in 2022. He noted that MMPRC and the Maldives Tourism Industry’s joint effort to give tourists opportunities to rest and rejuvenate following the worldwide pandemic was successful, as millions of travelers rushed to the Maldives with the certainty of a safe trip. According to Thoyyib, the Maldives had a really successful year, earning award after award.
According to Dr. Abdulla Mausoom, Minister of Tourism, the rapid recovery of the Maldives tourism sector to its pre-pandemic levels is clear evidence of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s visionary leadership, good tourism policy, and the government’s strong engagement with the private sector. The government’s goal for the new year 2023 is to attract at least 1.8 million tourists.
