MALE, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Tourist arrivals to the Maldives grew by 11 percent in May, when compared to the same period last year, with China being the leading market for Maldives tourism, local media reports said here Friday.
Media reports quoted Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed as saying that the country has been witnessing a strong increment in the number of tourist arrivals since the new government took office last year and the government's goal was to maintain the rising numbers throughout the year.
Official statistics from the tourism ministry showed that 103,022 tourists visited the Maldives in May, with China being the leading source followed by Italy.
So far this year, 749,114 tourists have visited the Maldives which is an 18.4 percent growth compared to the first five months of last year.
