Right since July of 2021, when the island nation reopened its travel boarders to international tourist, there has been a robust rise in vacation queries and booking

RCI, the global leader in holiday exchange and part of the Panorama collection of travel brands at Travel + Leisure Co. celebrates with affiliated resorts in Maldives on the return of inbound foreign traveler to the island. Right since July of 2021, when the island nation reopened its travel boarders to international tourist, there has been a robust rise in vacation queries and booking by RCI members across the globe to Maldives.

According to a recent RCI booking trends report, Maldives emerged as the most popular and largest international tourist destination amid pandemic in 2021. The report states that overall search for Maldives as a destination on RCI.com increased multiple folds to 595%. Q1 and Q2 of 2021 have seen the highest volume of RCI members opting for Maldives as a preferred destination, the booking trend shows an increase of 151% in first quarter and 195% in second quarter of 2021. Top 10 countries with high volume of Booking in RCI for Maldives are India, The United States of America, China, Vietnam, England, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Finland and South Africa.

Commenting on the data research, Paul Mulcahy, Managing Director for RCI APAC, India & EMEA shared, “We are pleased to see RCI contributing to the  grand scheme of tourism growth, India has emerged as one of the top source markets for tourist arrivals in the Maldives in 2021. Members are increasingly seeking more information and are inquisitive to know about safety standards, flexible cancellation policies etc. We anticipate demand for Maldives travel not only from India but also other countries such as The United States of America, China, Vietnam, England, Brazil, Australia, Canada and South Africa”.

As per the report, the overall demand by RCI members from India experienced a surge in overall demand by 245% in the first half of 2021 as compared to 2020. The booking trends also showcases an increase of 143% in first quarter and 656% in second quarter of 2021 when compared with the same time period in 2020. The most favored Maldives resorts chosen by RCI members are surrounded by turquoise waters that shine with coral and marine life, to name a few these being Medhufushi Island Resort, Filitheyo Island Resort, Hondaafushi Island Resort, Grand Park Kodhipparu. The members also have hotel options available through Alliance Reservations Network (ARN).

Commenting on the rise in bookings for Maldives, Munaz Maharoof, General Manager, AAA Resorts shared “We have started seeing signs of recovery with regard to tourism in Maldives and have witnessed a wide array of interest from travelers across the globe over the last few months, which affirms their keenness to travel to a safe destination. The island aims to achieve 1.5 million tourist arrivals in 2021 and are accepting bookings to go back to pre-covid levels by December 2021 and are constantly adding new products and attractions in order to cater to the increasing arrivals. Today we are very well prepared to welcome the guests by providing them with upmost AAA Standard for Care, Safety and Cleanliness at our resort.”