The Maldives recently welcomed the 1.5 millionth tourist of 2019. The event was held at Velana International Airport. The 1.5 millionth tourist Marina Kazakova arrived from Aeroflot Airline SU320. She was received by officials of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), together with the Ministry of Tourism, Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI), Maldives Immigration and representatives of the Maldives tourism industry.
The commemoration of the event started with the stamping of the 1.5 millionth tourist’s passport by the Maldives Immigration officer. Kazakova and her husband were escorted with a traditional Maldivian bodu beru performance to the VIP lounge area. They were welcomed by Ali Waheed, Minister of Tourism, Thoyyib Mohamed, Managing Director, MMPRC, Moosa Solih, Acting Managing Director of MACL, and Chief Guest Ahmed Nazeer, Secretary General of MATI. The venue was decorated for the ceremony and the couple was awarded with a congratulatory certificate and special gifts representing traditional Maldivian culture and tourism.
Kazakova and her husband, from Russia, were awarded with a complimentary holiday package for six nights sponsored by Mirihi Island Resort with return tickets sponsored by MMPRC. This is their 7th time to the Maldives.
This milestone was achieved 38 days ahead of the estimated time. A total of 130 events were held including fairs, roadshows, media FAM trips and joint campaigns among them. By the end of September 2019 a total of 1,251,690 tourists had arrived. This is an increase of 13.68 per cent from the same duration last year, with a total of 1,080,459 tourists. By the end of 2018, more than 1.4 million tourists visited the Maldives.
