Hello, Maldives – for the Millionth Time!
Saturday 30th of October 2021
The millionth tourist of 2021 has checked-in to the Maldives and we could not be prouder of this achievement! Visiting Maldives for the 20th time, onboard EK652 that arrived late afternoon on Friday, Mr. Victor Vincent Corentin from France was celebrated upon his arrival at the Velana International Airport by key stakeholders of the industry.
With his passport stamped at the Maldives Immigration counter, Mr. Corentin and his spouse were escorted to the VIP lounge to the rhythm of the traditional Maldivian Bodu Beru beats. Awaiting them were Deputy Managing Director of MMPRC Neesha Shahid, Deputy Minister of Tourism Ahmed Athif, CEO & MD of MACL Gordon Andrew Stewart, Chief Principal Immigration Officer Sheeneez Ali and the Chief Guest of the ceremony Secretary General of MATI Ahmed Nazeer.
A number of special gifts and souvenirs from the Maldives were handed to Mr. Corentin, along with a complimentary 6-night holiday package at Paradise Island Resort sponsored by Villa Resorts. Additionally, the current resort for their trip – Club Med Kani upgraded their stay.
“Today, we turn yet another page of the remarkable success story of Maldives tourism,” said Tourism Minister Dr. Abdulla Mausoom. The millionth tourist target was reached with two months to spare in the timeline, and Minister thanked and congratulated the industry for their resilient bounce back.
“We are seeing huge demand and our airport is now almost running at pre-covid capacity numbers, which is a unique success story in the current world of aviation.” remarked CEO & Managing Director of MACL, Gordon Andrew Stewart.
Controller General of Immigration Mohamed Ahmed Hanafy noted this is a truly remarkable milestone achieved during testing times and thanked the Immigration officers who work on the frontline to welcome visitors to the Maldives.
The breakthrough was noteworthy for the Maldivian tourism industry, having successfully placed Maldives at the top of the minds for enthusiastic travelers from around the world, even at a time when the world was resilient to travel.