The tourism industry - the key driver of the economy in the Maldives - recorded an impressive beginning this year as on Sunday the country welcomed more than 5000 tourists in a single day, a feat it achieved almost ten months after the global pandemic devastated the industry. 

As more countries are opening their border for international travelers, the Maldives’ popularity among lucrative tourist markets like India, Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan recorded a surge. 

This comes despite China - the topmost contributor of tourists to the Maldives in the preC0vid era - is yet to allow its citizens to fly out for tourism. 

The Maldives has set an ambitious target of 1.5 million tourists this year. After the global lockdown last year, the Maldives opened its tourism in July in a phased manner. In 2020, after the Covid-19 pandemic, it managed to get only 1,25,000 tourists. 

The tourism ministry took a number of measures to enhance the brand of Maldives tourism in important world markets. On Sunday, the Visit Maldives, a government agency that manages its promotional activities, welcomed a number of Indian journalists for a seven-day long familiarization trip.