Male, Feb 5 (IANS): Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu on Monday forecasted that the country can attract two million tourist arrivals this year, for the first time in the history of the Maldives since the inception of its tourism industry, according to local media.

Muizzu made the statement while delivering his first presidential address at the opening sitting of the last session of the ongoing 19th Parliament on Monday morning.

The President said the expansion of Velana International Airport (VIA) would increase tourist arrivals by 10.3 per cent on average in the medium term, Xinhua news agency reported.

Muizzu added his government wants to open 20 new resorts this year, and these will create 2,827 beds.

The President said they are now identifying obstructions to the development of islands, land plots and lagoons leased for tourism development that have been halted over various reasons and exploring possible solutions.

According to official data, the Maldives recorded the arrival of more than 1.8 million tourists in 2023.

The Maldives recorded the arrivals of more than 192,000 tourists in January this year, a 11.5 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, according to the statistics released by the Tourism Ministry.