Maldives becoming popular tourism destination for Oceania, US travelers

MALE, July 25, 2007 (Haveeru News Service) — Maldives is becoming a popular tourism destination among Oceania’s travelers, according to figures released by the tourism ministry.

According to statistics, tourist arrivals from Australia and New Zealand marked a 59.7 percent increase during the first half of this year in comparison to the year-ago period.

While 5,618 tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year from Oceania countries, 4,983 arrivals were from Australia, itself one of the world’s most visited countries despite the tough anti-immigration laws and increasing anti-immigration sentiment among Australians since conservative Prime Minister John Howard came into office.

The latest figures released by the tourism ministry also showed that the highest increase in tourist arrivals so far this year were from the United States, a key supporter of the Maldives’ democratic reform process. While American tourists make up only two percent of total arrivals, in the first half of this year, there was an increase of 36.7 percent of American tourists compared to the year-ago period.

Asian tourists also made a strong contribution to Maldives’ tourism this year; arrivals surged 32.2 percent in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year. Asian travelers comprise 19.4 percent of total tourist arrivals to Maldives.

The tourism ministry’s figures showed that the next highest arrivals were recorded from the Middle East. Recently, there has been renewed interest in the Maldives among Middle Eastern travelers which resulted in a 26.8 percent increase in arrivals in the first half of the year compared to 2006 though Middle Eastern travelers still account for only 0.7 percent of Maldives’ tourist market.