The government target of having 500,000 tourist arrivals this year has been achieved today.

The 500,000th tourist that arrived in the Maldives today was a German national who came on a flight of Emirates this morning and received a warm welcome at Velana International Airport.

Initially, the Maldivian government aimed to bring 2 million tourists this year but amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the estimate was reduced to 500,000.

The government estimated that the 500,000th tourist would be arriving on 25 December. However, with the increase in tourist arrivals close to Christmas and New Year, the estimated date for the target number was set at 19 December.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maldives closed its borders on 27 March and re-opened on 15 July.