Half a million tourists visited Maldives in less than 3 months

By the end of the first quarter of this year, more than half a million tourists had visited the Maldives.

As of the 20th of this month, 529,547 tourists arrived in the Maldives, according to the Ministry of Tourism.

This year, the Maldives welcomed 13 percent more tourists than the same period last year, which saw 469,763 tourists visit the Maldives.

Last month, the Maldives recorded the highest number of tourist arrivals this year with a total of 217,392 tourists. However, the numbers declined in March and saw a total of 119, 770 tourists enter the Maldives as of the 20th of this month.

During this period, the Maldives saw the highest amount of tourist arrivals from China, raising it to the top spot on this year's list from its position as third last year. A total of 61,802 Chinese tourists visited the Maldives during the period.

India, which was at the top of the list last year, has now dropped to sixth. As of the 20th of March, 31,649 tourists had arrived from India.

Italy moved up to the third spot this year while Russia finished second, the same as last year.

Last year, the Maldives welcomed 1.8 million tourists and the government aims to welcome 2 million visitors by the end of this year.