Maldives sees big rise in UK visitor numbers
The Maldives saw an 18.7% increase in UK visitors last November compared with the same month in 2016.
In total, 9,579 UK visitors travelled to the Maldives during the month compared with 8,073 in November 2016.
A total of 94,258 UK visitors travelled to the islands in the first 11 months of 2017, a 1.1% year-on-year increase.
There was an overall 15.2% rise in international visitors to the Maldives in November, when arrivals reached 120,506. During the first 11 months of the year, there was a rise of 6.8%.
To support the growing visitor numbers, the Maldives is planning to expand the recently rebranded Velana International Airport and open the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge in July 2018, which will link the airport in the west to the eastern edge of Male.
Speaking at a recent press conference, attorney general His Excellency Mohamed Anil, Attorney General, said: "This is a very exciting time for the Maldives with a number of key infrastructure developments taking place during 2018 and beyond, which will benefit both tourists and the local community.
"Our tourism industry is continuing to expand and with 10 new hotel resorts opening during the next few years, we look forward to being able to accommodate even more visitors from overseas."
The UK is one of the Maldives’ most important long-haul markets, representing 7.6% of total visitors.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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