Russian tourist flow to the Maldives in 2019 set a historical record

According to the results of 2019, the tourist flow from Russia to the Maldives increased by 17,5%, setting a record - the figures of the arrivals of Russians over the past year for the first time exceed the best pre-crisis indicators of 2013.

According to the official data of the Ministry of Tourism of the Maldives, from January to December 2019 (inclusive) the number of Russian tourist arrivals in the Maldives amounted to 83 369. This is 17,5% more than in 2019. Russian tourist flow to the Maldives is growing rapidly since 2017, and in 2019 all pre-crisis records were broken.

Over 90% of Russian tourists arrive in the Maldives through tour operators. Industry experts explain the steady growth of the “Maldivian” audience by the growing number of new hotels (this increases competition and makes prices of many hotels more affordable) and convenient direct air transportation, to which charter flights were added in 2019.

The tour operators Anex Tour and Tui Russia sent tourists on boards of Azur Air during the peak New Year period. The program was recognized as successful, so in 2020 Anex Tour charters from Russia will fly from Moscow to Male and for May holidays in 2020 - the tour operator has already announced dates (1 chain, 01.05.2020 – 11.05.2020).

At the end of 2020, Russia entered the TOP-10 of the key source markets of the Maldives with the 6-th position and a 4,9% share of the total tourist flow to the islands. Only China, Italy, Germany, Great Britain and India are ahead of Russia in the number of tourists in the Maldives. In total, 1 702 887 tourists from around the world arrived in the Maldives in 2019, which is 14,7% more than in 2018.

Following the results of 2019, the Maldives became again the undisputed leader in the Russian tourist market among all the exotic island destinations of the Indian Ocean (Maldives, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Seychelles).