Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/ Visit Maldives) has announced the arrival of the 2 millionth tourist of 2024. Astrid Dirnegger, an Austrian national, arrived in the Maldives this morning, 26th December 2024, officially achieving the target set by His Excellency President Dr Mohamed Muizzu for this year. This is her third visit to the Maldives, and she is here on vacation with her family to Raffles Maldives Meradhoo.

This milestone underscores the continued success of the Maldives tourism sector, following a record-breaking month of February 2024 that saw over 217,394 tourist arrivals, the highest number of arrivals ever achieved in a single day. February of this year also saw the Maldives breaking the record for the most arrivals in a single day, with 10,214 arrivals on 10th February 2024.

"Welcoming our 2 millionth tourist of 2024 is a source of pride for the nation, and a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire tourism industry. This milestone is a result of the collaborative resorts of our stakeholders and the industry as a whole. I extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who has contributed to this success." CEO & MD of MMPRC, Mr Ibrahim Shiuree, stated.

This year, the Maldives tourism industry has expanded signicantly with MMPRC’s proliferation of various new markets such as Azerbaijan, Georgia and Bangladesh. MMPRC further initiated several initiatives towards making a foothold in new segments such as sports, film, medical tourism and more. Visit Maldives also conducted a first of its kind ‘DATA 2024’ conference, the largest held in the South East Asia region, presenting an impressive lineup of industry leaders and data experts from around the World. This was followed by another milestone, the Visit Maldives Tourism Symposium 2024 that brought together significant figures, including policymakers, industry leaders, and stakeholders, in the Maldives tourism industry delving into critical topics such as sustainability; diversification; health and safety; collaborative dialogue; and exploring innovative solutions for the challenges facing the tourism sector. Moreover, Visit Maldives Club was inaugurated August, 2024 leading to the launching of the much-anticipated ‘Burunu Boma’ sport fishing competition to be held next year.

The Maldives tourism industry was further honoured on the global tourism stage with the fifth consecutive win as the World’s Leading Destination and the first time being awarded the title of World’s Leading Green Destination.

MMPRC is geared up for an even more successful year in 2025, with multiple thrilling events and initiatives. Upcoming thrilling events for next year include the World’s Biggest Giveaway 2025, an year-long global initiative, as well as the APOS Maldives event. Alongside these, MMPRC will also continue to promote the Maldives as the World’s Leading Destination and the best place for a vacation for all travellers throughout the world.