Tourism Minister Dr. Abdulla Mausoom has said that Chinese tourists will return to the Maldives in time for new year.

China closed its borders in March 2020 with the Covid-19 outbreak.

While the borders remain closed as of yet, Chinese Ambassador to the Maldives, Wang Lixin has stated that direct flights will resume soon between China and Maldives.

Minister Mausoom told 'One' on Wednesday that Chinese tourists will be visiting Maldives starting Chinese New Year (CNY), although the exact date for flight resumption is unknown.

"We are hopeful that we will get a good number of tourist arrivals during this season," Minister Mausoom said.

China was the greatest source market for Maldives pre-pandemic. As such, between 2016-2022, 1.2 million tourists visited Maldives from China.