Tourist arrivals from Europe fall

Tourism Ministry’s statistics have revealed that tourist arrivals in Maldives from Europe have declined.

The Tourist Arrivals Update for April 2012 published by the Tourism Ministry shows that 8,934 tourists arrived in Maldives from the UK, which is 20 percent less than that in April 2011. It is also a 14.3 percent decline when compared with the previous quarter.

Italian tourists account for 7.7 percent of tourist arrivals in Maldives. There has been a decline of 26.3 percent in Italian tourists when compared with April 2011. Greek tourists have also declined by 8.2 percent. Total tourist arrivals from Europe have declined by 4.8 percent.

Minister of State for Tourism Maleeh Jamal said today that the reason for the decline is the economic downturn in Europe.

“The reason for the decline in tourist arrivals from Europe is most likely the downturn in the European economy. Another reason could be that the Euro football tournament is about to begin,” Maleeh said.

Even though tourist arrivals from Europe have declined, tourist arrivals in general have improved by 2.3 percent when compared with the previous quarter.

In April alone, 10,523 tourists arrived from China, making it the country with the highest tourist arrivals.

Tourism Ministry’s aim is to reach a target of one million tourists this year. So far, 335, 155 tourists have visited Maldives this year.