The Maldives has welcomed 1.3 million tourist visitors for the year 2021, despite the many challenges faced this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 1.3 millionth tourist visitor milestone was achieved today, on 27 December, 2021, thanks in no small part to the hard work and dedication of frontline workers, government agencies and tourism industry stakeholders.

A ceremony was held at Velana International Airport to welcome the 1.3 millionth visitor, Constantin Stelian Emil, from Romania, who arrived in the Maldives via GullivAir. He was welcomed by the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/ Visit Maldives) Thoyyib Mohamed, officials from the Ministry of Tourism, Immigration and MACL. Mr Emil was conferred special gifts on behalf of MMPRC, the Ministry of Tourism, and other stakeholders. This is Mr Constantin Stelian Emil’s second visit to the Maldives and he is accompanied by his spouse and two children.

Applauding this momentous achievement, the CEO and MD Thoyyib Mohamed noted that it is the joint effort of all tourism industry stakeholders which allowed the Maldives to ease into the new normal and achieve this and other milestones during 2021.

“Despite all the challenges, 2021 has been a great year for the Maldivian tourism sector, achieving many milestones and receiving many accolades and awards, one of which was the prestigious World Travel Awards leading destination 2021 title. Reaching 1.3 million visitors is not a small achievement considering how volatile the global tourism situation has been throughout the year. This is all thanks to the consistent and courageous efforts of all frontline workers, the government, ministries, MMPRC, other stakeholders, NGO’s and associations. We have many plans for the next year and will hopefully bring in even greater achievements as we proceed.”

As the parent company responsible for marketing the Maldives as a destination abroad, MMPRC carried out over 260 different marketing activities in 24 global markets this year, including fairs, roadshows, familiarisation trips, marketing campaigns, webinars, and interviews. The greatest testament to the success of these activities came on December 16th, as the Maldives secured the title of ‘World’s Leading Destination’ for the second consecutive year.

Next year also celebrates an exceptional year to visit the Maldives–the Golden Jubilee celebration of tourism in the Maldives, with plans to conduct new and exciting activities throughout the year. MMPRC has planned over 60 in-person events, including 17 fairs, roadshows, and events scheduled for just the first quarter of 2022.