India became the top market for the Maldives’tourism as the latter received the highest arrival from India in 2020, the year which saw the biggest ever disruption in the global tourism industry.

Data released by the Tourism Ministry showed, 62904 Indians visited the Indian Ocean archipelago in 2020, accounting 11 percent share of total arrivals. After the pandemic hit the world, the air bubble agreement that the Maldives had signed with India has kept tourists from India till the end of the year. 

Around five Indian airlines - Air India, Indigo, AirGo, Spice Jet, and Air Vistara - operated flights to the archipelago. The country remained a popular vacation destination among Indian Celebrities and high-end travelers.

Earlier in 2019, China contributed the most tourists, followed by India. However, in 2020, after the pandemic, China kept its door closed to international flights for the rest of the year.

In 2020, Russia remained the second biggest contributor, with 61388, to the country. After the pandemic, Russia remained on the top for the whole year except in the month of December, where India took the final lead. 

The country recorded more than 125,000 arrivals since its reopening of the border on 15 July.