Arrivals from Australia up 16% since launch of direct flights

Tourist arrivals from Australia have increased by 16 percent in the three weeks since the launch direct flights between Maldives and Australia.

The Male’-Melbourne route – marking the first direct air link between Maldives and Australia – was launched on May 17 as part of a partnership between Maldives’ national carrier, Maldivian and top Australian travel agency, Luxury Escapes.

The latest statistics released by the Tourism Ministry show a significant growth in the Australia market since the launch of direct flights.

20,878 Australian tourists have visited the Maldives as of June 6 – marking a 16 percent increase from the 17,957 arrivals recorded during the same period last year.

With the increase, Australia has moved up from the 10th spot in the list of top source markets for tourist arrivals to the ninth place, after edging out Switzerland.

The growth in the Australia market is attributed mainly to the launch of direct flights.

In the past, flights from Melbourne to the Male’ typically involved an Asian carrier with stopovers in cities such as Singapore, Colombo, Kuala Lumpur or Dubai. Travel times usually ranged from 15 to 20 hours, though longer journeys were common, with total travel often extending well beyond the hours spent in the air.

But the stopover-free route launched by Maldivian in partnership with Luxury Escapes trims the journey to 11 hours.

The airline expects to carry around 11,000 tourists from Australia to Maldives each year with its new route.