Alexander Shishlo
Correspondent in Benelux 
Maldives is ahead of other Asian destinations in attracting tourists from Russia in the post-Covid period, asia.nikkei.com reports.
More than 523,000 foreign tourists visited this island country in the Indian Ocean in the first quarter of this year.
This is 8.5% more than in the same period of 2019, which makes Maldives one of the first countries in the Asian region in terms of the number of Russians who arrived in the pre-pandemic period.
The share of Russian citizens accounted for the largest part of foreign visitors - 65,060 people – twice as much as in the same period of 2019.
The popularity of the Maldives among Russians persisted even after Europe and the United States banned Russian airlines from flying in their airspace due to the conflict in Ukraine.
Unlike European countries, the states of Southeast Asia have left their "doors" open for Russian tourists. In particular, the Russian airline Aeroflot today regularly operates flights between Moscow and the Maldives Velana International Airport.
In Sri Lanka, in the first four months of this year, every fifth foreign tourist was a Russian - more than from any other country. In actual figures, this amounted to 95,000 Russian travelers compared to 43,000 for the same period in 2019.
In Thailand, in the four months of 2022, Russians accounted for 8% of the total number of tourists who arrived in this country. According to this indicator, tourists from Russia ranked third after Malaysians and Chinese.
Moreover, in January and February, Russians made 21,631 visits to Cambodia, which is almost 70 times more than in the same period a year earlier.
As for Vietnam, the number of Russian tourists has significantly decreased after the country suspended direct flights to Moscow. In the first four months, about 45,000 people arrived in Vietnam from Russia, compared with 274,000 for the same period in 2019.
China used to be the main source of tourists for both countries, but its strict policy to combat COVID-19 has weakened people's enthusiasm to go abroad. China reopened its borders in January 2023, but since then the recovery of outbound tourism has been sluggish.
In the first three months, the Chinese made 17,691 trips to the Maldives, which is less than a quarter higher than in 2019.
The Maldivian Islands have gained the fame of a paradise place, where not everyone can afford to stay.
Nevertheless, in 2009, local authorities allowed residents to open guest houses, restaurants and other tourist infrastructure facilities.
Russia resumed air service with the Maldives in September 2020.
For Russians, a visa to enter the Maldives does not need to be issued in advance if the trip lasts no more than 90 days.
Visa, American Express and Mastercard cards issued in Russia do not work in the Maldives. At the same time, you can use cards of foreign banks, for example, Belarus and Georgia.
