Maldives tourist arrivals up

Tourist arrivals in Maldives from January to July 2010 have increased by 50 percent compared to the corresponding period last year.

A Spokesman from the Economic Development Ministry said that 439,864 tourists visited Maldives from last January to July, compared to the 340,055 tourists last year.

According to the ministry, the arrivals last July observed a 29.1 percent increase to 57,232 from 2009’s 44,332 tourists.

The figures also reveal an eight percent increase in tourist arrivals from European countries, reaching the number to 289,051 tourists.

While tourists used 80 percent of the registered 21,040 beds in the resorts, the tourists stayed 427,463 nights in the Maldives, the ministry added.