Tourist arrivals to Maldives up 22% in October

The latest figures released by the Maldives’ Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture show that tourist arrivals to Maldives increased by an impressive 21.8 percent for the month of October 2010 compared to the same period last year.

The ministry issued a statement stating that 74,707 arrivals were recorded for October 2010 compared to 62,432 for October 2009.

China contributed the highest individual-country arrivals with a staggering 104,148 tourists, which is a 109.7 percent increase for January-October 2010 compared to the same year-ago period.

“China has obviously taken over our traditional tourist market to become the most important individual contributor to Maldives’ tourism,” Maldives Tourism Promotion Board’s Deputy Director Mohamed Adam said to Maldives Traveller.

Europe contributed highest as a region with 407,519 arrivals recorded for the period January-October 2010, which makes up 63.3 percent of total arrivals, and which is a 9.2-percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Asia-Pacific tourist arrivals followed a close second with 207,736 arrivals which is a 57.5 percent increase compared to the period from January-October 2009.

Sichuan trade office to promote China-Maldives tourism links

Maldives has opened a trade office in Sichuan, China, to promote “trade and tourism” links, according to the Maldives National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MNCCI).

“I believe that the office will be mostly used by Maldives’ tourism operators to promote the Maldives’ travel industry in China,” MNCCI’s Vice President Ismail Asif told Maldives Traveller.

Asif said that Maldivian businessmen, especially tourism proprietors, now have a “golden opportunity” to share information and experience with Chinese tourists, investors, travel agents and the business community.

“We invite all Maldives’ businesses to make maximum use of our trade office in Sichuan to promote trade and travel,” Asif said.

China this year became the main contributor to Maldives’ tourism. China now contributes 15 percent to Maldives’ overall tourist market, with 104,148 arrivals recorded for the January-October 2010 period compared to the year-ago period. This is a whopping 109.7 percent increase, compared to the same period last year.

A delegation from Sichuan visited the MNCCI on November 21, 2010 and invited MNCCI’s leadership to attend the 2nd South Asia-Sichuan Business Promotion Seminar that is to be held in Chengdu, China in February 2011.