Russian tourist flow to Maldives in October reached a five-year record

In October 2024, the tourist flow of Russians to the Maldives turned out to be a record for this month since 2019. The country was visited by 22.6 thousand Russians - this is almost 28% more than in October 2023, when 17.7 thousand tourists from RUSSIA came to the republic. The number of visits by Russian tourists is taken into account by statistics from the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Maldives, which RBC has become familiar with.

In October, Russia was the leader among the countries from which foreigners come to the Maldives: the share of Russians among all foreigners arriving there was 13.1%. In second place was Germany with a share of 11.4%, followed by CHINA with a share of 10.8%.

According to the results of ten months of 2024, the Russian tourist flow to the Maldives grew at a less noticeable pace. In January-October 2024, 184.9 thousand Russians visited the republic, which is 6% more than a year ago (174.6 thousand). More - 188.8 thousand visits - were during this period only in 2021.

The share of Russian tourists among all foreigners in the republic over ten months was 11.1%. Russia was in second place after China with 14.4% (239.7 thousand).

In October, the Mediterranean Sea becomes cold, and in Turkey — the most popular foreign holiday destination for Russians — the beach season ends, so vacationers are switching to other resorts, says Dmitry Arutyunov, CEO of the tour operator Art-Tour. At popular Asian resorts — for example, in Thailand — it is still raining at this time, and against this background, the Maldives could receive more tourists this year. In November and December, when the Maldives will have a high season, there will be even more travelers from Russia there, the expert expects.

The Maldives have traditionally been considered a luxury holiday destination. But over the past few years, trips there have become more affordable for Russians for a number of reasons. The Russian tourist flow to the Maldives has increased sharply after the covid-19 pandemic , recalls Dmitry Gorin, Vice President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (RUTI). Thus, in January-December 2021, according to the local Ministry of Tourism, Russians visited the republic 222.4 thousand times. This is 2.6 times more than in pre-COVID 2019, when there were 83 thousand tourists from Russia in the country. Then this destination was one of the few open to tourists. The islands had favorable conditions for entry, and there were more places, since Chinese tourists did not leave the country, and Europeans traveled much less, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) pointed out. And for Russians, in turn, prestigious European resorts were closed at that time.

The changes contributed to the growing popularity of the Maldives among tourists from Russia, both in the luxury and more affordable holiday segments. For example, since 2021, Russians have been staying more often in guesthouses - these are small hotels located on the islands that were chosen by independent tourists. Budget tours to the Maldives on charter flights with accommodation in a guesthouse were launched in the fall of 2022 by the tour operator Coral Travel - prices there started from 180 thousand rubles for two for a week. As a result, not only wealthy clients, who made up the bulk of the Russian tourist flow to the Maldives before the pandemic, went to the islands, but also mass clients with an "average" budget, ATOR noted: the ratio of organized and individual tourist flow equalized.

Another factor was the decrease in the availability of some other popular foreign holiday destinations for Russians. For example, in 2023, against the backdrop of rising prices for Turkish resorts, holidays in the Maldives turned out to be comparable to Turkey. The price of accommodation in 5-star luxury hotels in Turkey has indeed become equal to the Maldives, Intourist confirmed. For example, in the summer of 2024, a ten-night tour to Turkey in a five-star hotel with an all-inclusive system, according to ATOR, cost an average of 235-300 thousand rubles for two. For comparison: the price of a ten-night tour to the Maldives in June 2024 averaged 347.1 thousand rubles.

The growth of tourist flow to the Maldives from Russia is facilitated by the large volume of air transportation, Gorin points out. Aeroflot resumed direct flights to Male back in May 2022. In September, tour operators Anex and Intourist announced the launch of direct flights to the Maldives.

In addition, this destination is not so affected by exchange rate fluctuations, since the Maldives is a luxury tourism segment visited by a more solvent audience. Another factor in the growth of tourist flow is the high level of the hotel base, Gorin adds.

If the number of trips by Russian tourists to the Maldives continues to grow, Russia will be able to repeat or at least come close to the result of 2021 by the end of the current year, ATOR predicted.

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