Tourist arrivals to Maldives grow 7.8% in June

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The Maldives attracted 85,222 visitors in June 2017 recording a 7.8 percent growth compared to 12 months ago, with the momentum of arrivals growth from Europe cushioning a decline in visitor levels experienced from China.

Sri Lanka’s John Keells, Aitken Spence and several other own and operate resorts in the archipelago.
The largest tourism market for the Maldives, the Asia and the Pacific declined 0.9 percent year-on-year (YoY) to 48,437 visitors, with the Chinese arrivals falling 12.5 percent YoY to 24,160 tourists. The 48.5 percent YoY growth from India, with 6,919 tourists helped partially offset the regional figures.
The archipelago, experienced a 13.8 YoY percent arrivals growth from its second largest regional market in Europe, with 29,194 arrivals. The number of German arrivals increased 49.1 percent YoY to 6,885 tourists.

The UK another major market, increased just 3.2 percent YoY to 6,081 tourists, while Russian arrivals grew 11 percent YoY to 3,262 tourists and 2,768 Italians arrived, growing 7.2 percent YoY
The Middle East market grew 259 percent YoY hauling in 2,603 tourists to the Maldives.

Tourist arrivals to the archipelago for the first half of 2017 increased 6.1 percent YoY to 657,540 visitors. 

Arrivals from the Asia and the Pacific remained unchanged at 281,261 tourists, with half of them coming from China, a market which contracted by 10.3 percent YoY for the Maldives, with the growth from India helping relieve downward pressure from the region.

Arrivals from Europe from January to June grew 10.7 percent YoY with growth from mid-sized markets such as Russia and Italy helping drive growth, since the British and German markets remained fairly unchanged.

Maldivian accommodation units experienced an occupancy rate of 61.4 percent for the first 6 months, falling 3.9 percent YoY while the average duration of stay of tourists increased to 6.3 days from 6.1 days YoY.

Source:DailyMirror

Happy Independence Day! - Maldives

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                                                 Happy Independence Day ! Maldives

After a long 78 years of being a British Protectorate, on 26th July 1965 Maldives was granted full independence from the British. To celebrate this independence, the Republic of Maldives, marks the 26th of July and declares it a public holiday. This is the 49th anniversary of independence for Maldives.

Although governed as an independent Islamic sultanate from 1153 to 1968, the Maldives was a British protectorate from 1887 until 25 July 1965. On December 16, 1887, the Sultan of the Maldives signed a contract with the British Governor of Ceylon turning the Maldives into a British protectorate, losing her sovereignty in matters of foreign policy.

The British government promised the Maldives military protection and non-interference in local administration in exchange for an annual tribute paid by the Maldives. In 1957 the British established a RAF base in the strategic southernmost atoll of Addu, where hundreds of locals were employed. Fiscal feasibility in question, 19 years later the British government decided to give up the base, as it was too expensive to maintain

In 1953, there was a brief, abortive attempt to form a republic, but the sultanate was re-imposed. In 1959, objecting to Nasir’s centralism, the inhabitants of the three southernmost atolls protested against the government. They formed the United Suvadive Republic and elected Abdullah Afeef as president and Hithadhoo as capital of this republic.

The agreement giving the Maldives full political independence was signed on behalf of His Majesty the Sultan by Ibrahim Nasir Rannabandeyri Kilegefan, Prime Minister; and on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen by Sir Michael Walker, British Ambassador designate to the Maldive Islands. The Ceremony took place at the British High Commissioner’s Residence in Colombo on 26 July 1965. After independence from Britain in 1965, the sultanate continued to operate for another three years under King Muhammad Fareed Didi.

On 11 November 1968, the monarchy was abolished and replaced by a republic under the presidency of Ibrahim Nasir, although this was a cosmetic change without any significant alteration in the structures of government. The official name of the country was changed from Maldive Islands to the Maldives. Tourism began to be developed on the archipelago by the beginning of the 1970s. The first accurate census was held in December 1977 and showed 142,832 persons residing in Maldives.

Source : MaldivesNet