German tourist becomes Maldives’ first arrival of the year

A German national has been recorded as the first passenger to arrive in the Maldives this year, airport authorities said.

Thomas Andrew Hellweger, 54, arrived at Velana International Airport on an Etihad Airways flight early on Wednesday, travelling with his wife. It was the couple’s first visit to the Maldives.

A ceremony was held at the airport to mark the occasion, where Hellweger was welcomed by Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) deputy chief officer for passenger services, Ali Musthaq. He was presented with a commemorative gift by MACL.

Maldives recorded an estimated 2.2 million tourist arrivals last year, slightly below an initial projection of 2.3 million.

Data also show that an average of about 7,000 tourists arrived daily in December, while arrivals are expected to average around 6,000 a day this year, an increase of about 10 percent compared with 2023.