SURFING

The Maldives is considered as a worldclass surfing destination. It is certainly one of the most beloved water sports in the destination country. With gigantic waves that form and curl, many surfers and adventure enthusiasts from across the globe prefer to travel to the country with the best break in the world.

Tourist Arrivals

Tourism Receipts

Tourism Accommodation (Operational Capacity)

2022

Resorts/Marinas:168

Hotels:13

SafariVessels:158

Guesthouses:865

Homestay:4

Bedsintotal:59,625

2020

2021

Resorts/Marinas:161

Hotels:10

SafariVessels:145

Guesthouses:613

Bedsintotal:53,160

Resorts/Marinas:141

Hotels:11

SafariVessels:130

Guesthouses:254

Bedsintotal:41,580

Reimagining Tourism

Just like every country around the globe, the Maldives was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The numbers have dropped compared to 2019, many tourists and locals were forced to stay home–affecting the tourism industry. Consequently, this created an impact on the lives of the tourism industry workers in a way that the businesses they worked for had to be shut down or they had to go back to square one and find ways to earn again In the Maldives, this specifically happened to the many guesthouses that served the public.

Reimagining Tourism is a project that is looking to contribute to the guesthouses that were hit by the pandemic The project aims to help in the recovery of the Maldivian tourism industry in hopes of going back to pre-pandemic levels, or, even better, exceed pre-pandemic levels. The project is looking into making use of the opportunity to be more resilient through the investments they will be utilizing to ensure sustainability and inclusivity

The tourism industry has been the largest contributor to the economic growth of the Maldives, having a share of more than a quarter of the Maldives’ national income This has been the case ever since 1972–the inception of the industry When the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a decline in tourism arrivals for the Maldives This was until international borders opened for traveling in July 2020, and the country became one of the few high performing tourist destination countries in the world.

One project of the Maldives for the current year is the expansion of the Velana International Airport, which is scheduled to be completed this year (2023). It is designed to have 78,000 m2 of floor space, to cater and accommodate over 7 28 million passengers every year The airport is set to have their terminals handle 14 international air traffic movements, serve more than 1700 arrival passengers and 1600 departing passengers every hour The Velana International Airport will also soon have luxury duty free boutiques, international brands from all over the world, and food & beverage facilities to cater diverse customers with various culinary preferences.

As of today, the Maldives has been able to gradually recover through the launch of islands mv, their tourism website, to promote the local island tourism opportunities and services to the public Through this website, all 189 inhabited islands of the country were given the opportunity to market their destination. 17

EXPANSION OF MALDIVES’ GAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

The project funded by Exim Bank is for the expansion and modernization of the Gan International Airport infrastructure The Maldives government has been able to contract India-based Renaatus Projects into the start of the said project The $29 million contract will include the construction of air traffic control towers and fire stations, as well as the upgrading and renewing of existing terminal facilities, parking facilities, roads, duty free shops, and restaurants. This project in discussion is set to complete by the year 2025