Malé, Maldives – Minister of Tourism Dr. Abdulla Mausoom has revealed that the Maldives’ target for next year is to welcome two million tourists in the year 2023.
Speaking at the e-event “Re-Imagining Tourism: Coming back from the Brink”, which was held on Zoom as part of the 55th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors 2022 of Asian Development Bank (ADB), Tourism Minister Mausoom said that the tourism industry currently accounts for 47 percent of the Maldives’ GDP, and that 46 percent of the country’s government income is through tourism.
Reflecting on the devastating blow the country’s economy faced due to Covid-19, the Minister Mausoom said that the country is now on the road to recovery. He went on to say that although Maldives was one of the toughest hit countries due to the pandemic, it is also among the fastest countries to recover from the situation.
Revealing the tourism industry’s target for this year, Minister Mausoom that Maldives expects to receive 1.6 million tourists this year. As the country marks it’s 50th year in the tourism industry, Maldives also targets to celebrate 13 million bed nights this year.
As for 2023, Maldives’ expectation in terms of tourist arrivals is at 2 million, with 14.5 bed nights.
Maldives currently has 167 resorts, 13 hotels, 803 guest houses and 148 tourist vessels. It also has 218 dive centers, 613 travel agencies, 16 tour guides, and three yacht marinas.
