UAE nationals are the top visitors to the Maldives this summer, since the islands re-opened to international tourist arrivals in July 2020.

Official visitor data from Maldives Immigration has revealed that between reopening on July 15 and September 30, 2,823 Emirati travellers opted to holiday on a beautiful Maldives island, followed closely by travellers from Russia (2,540), the US (1,798), the UK (1,596) and Spain (1,041).

For dnata Travel, the UAE’s longest standing travel provider, holidays to the Maldives have proved most popular for travellers on the whole this summer, for both UAE nationals and residents, with the trend looking set to continue throughout the remainder of this year with bookings for UAE National Day, winter breaks, and beyond.

Emily Jenkins, Head of dnata Travel Leisure UAE, commented: 'The Maldives, conveniently accessible with just a four-hour flight from Dubai, and which boasts a variety of dreamy private island locations and world-class resorts with high standards of health and safety, is providing the ultimate getaway and change of scenery for travellers at this time.

'With in-resort PCR testing offered across the islands, easy transfers, and private resorts operating at limited capacity, the Maldives is leading the way in offering visitors a smooth, safe travel experience, in the ultimate paradise setting.

'In response to changing traveller requirements, the dnata Travel team is working hard in partnership with top Maldives resorts to offer our customers a stress-free holiday experience including transfers from the airport to the resort of their choice, PCR testing facilities available in-resort, and travel insurance, all as part of their holiday package.'

The results of a recent dnata Travel poll completed by thousands of people across the UAE revealed that ‘beach breaks’ – with 50% of the votes – followed by ‘outdoor/adventure holidays’ and ‘island escapes’, were the most popular holiday types of choice for UAE travellers in 2020 / 2021.

Jenkins added: 'The Maldives has remained in our top five most popular holiday destinations for UAE travellers throughout much of our history, and this trend looks set to continue with advance bookings being made throughout the rest of 2020, and on to 2021.

'The private resorts of the Maldives offer the ultimate island escape, in renowned, luxurious accommodation surrounded by some of the world’s most beautiful natural settings. New offerings include the Maldives’ first multi-island leisure destination at Crossroads Maldives, and an upcoming All-Inclusive mega-resort in Siyam World. Meanwhile, travellers can rediscover its unique features from its iconic over-water villas, to its selection of incredible water sports and world-class underwater dining. There’s nowhere else quite like it.'

UAE travellers can rediscover the islands of the Maldives with dnata Travel’s exclusive holiday packages including savings on hotel rates, and added extras including room and meal plan upgrades, complimentary travel insurance, resort transfers and more.

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