With a colorful ceremony to welcome the 1.6 millionth visitor to the Maldives, Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/Visit Maldives) has celebrated meeting H.E. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s tourist arrivals objective for 2022. The hard work and dedication of government organizations, business stakeholders, and international travel trade partners allowed for the achievement of this milestone, which President Solih declared in his Presidential Address this year.

The Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), the Ministry of Tourism, Maldives Immigration, and the Maldives Customs Service provided important assistance to MMPRC in organizing the event conducted today to commemorate the arrival of the 1.6 millionth visitor of 2022. Vice President of the Maldives, H.E. Faisal Naseem, was the event’s honored Chief Guest.

Tejas Sanjay Kothari, an Indian tourist who was the 1.6 millionth visitor, arrived on Air Vistara Flight No. UK271 for his honeymoon in the Maldives. On behalf of MMPRC, the Tourism Ministry, and other stakeholders, Tejas Sanjay received unique gifts. He is traveling with his spouse for the first time to the Maldives.

The 1.6 millionth guest was greeted and led through a traditional Maldivian Boduberu and cultural parade to the ceremony area. The visitor was treated to a traditional Maldivian dance performance, and then the MMPRC, MACL, Tourism Ministry, Maldives Immigration, and Maldives Customs Service presented him with unique gifts. HE Vice President Faisal Naseem presented the visitor with a traditional Maldivian Tannu in addition to a gift basket from Visit Maldives and a free vacation certificate from LUX* South Ari Atoll.

The golden jubilee year of tourism holds a record for milestones related to the tourism sector, according to Mr. Thoyyib Mohamed, CEO & MD of MMPRC, who congratulated all parties involved in reaching this significant milestone. He cited that this is all due to the tenacious and ongoing efforts of everyone involved in the industry.

“We are celebrating yet another milestone following our recent momentous wins at the WTA. It is no small feat for a tiny nation like ours to be crowned the World’s Leading Destination thrice in a row. Our perseverance during the harshest of times that the world has seen recently led us to these achievements. All this is undeniably the result of the Government’s foresight in policy formulation; implementation during and post-covid; the sacrifices and hard work of employees of the tourism sector; the joint efforts of every single tourism sector stakeholder; and the noteworthy efforts of MMPRC staff and our network of global travel trade partners. We move forward now, with even more determination to uphold this level of service excellence.”

Regarding the achievement of this national milestone, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom, the minister of tourism, also issued a statement.

“Appreciate the engagement and support of Travel and Tourism Industry stakeholders in achieving yet another milestone of Maldives Tourism success story. Congratulations all! This quick rebound of Maldives tourism to pre-pandemic level is a clear indication of the visionary leadership of His Excellency President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, sound tourism policies and the strong partnership between the government and the private sector”, the Minister said.

Two months earlier than expected, the Maldives exceeded the 1.3 million visitor arrival goal established by the government last year. The 1.6 million tourist arrivals statistic for this year represents a 23.1% increase over last year. MMPRC was the driving force behind the celebration, which was held today to mark achieving the nation’s goal of 1.6 million tourists in 2022.