Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal has announced the government's goal to increase annual tourist arrivals to 4 million within the next five years.

In his message on World Tourism Day, Faisal highlighted President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's vision to further promote tourism in the Maldives, with significant efforts being made under the guidance of the President. He emphasised that the most crucial step in boosting tourism is the operation of the new terminal at Velana International Airport (VIA).

Faisal expressed optimism that the new terminal would be operational by December this year.

"By the end of this five-year period, we aim to achieve our target of 3.5 to 4 million tourist arrivals," he said.

He also stressed the importance of increasing the length of stay for visitors, aiming to boost tourism revenue from the current USD 4.5 billion to USD 6 billion.