The data was shared by the Tourism Ministry of the Maldives. It also said that the tourist arrivals were 122.5 percent higher than 2020 due to border closures and travel restrictions on international travellers. But the 2021 tourist arrivals has been a record on its own considering the pandemic situation.
The country had closed its borders for international travellers for three months in 2020. Then in July 2020, the borders were reopened again and travellers were allowed entry amid strict COVID-19 restrictions.
Again in May 2021, when the world was hit by the second deadly wave of COVID-19, the Maldives closed its borders completely for tourists from South Asian nations. It was in July 2021 that the nation started welcoming overseas tourists.