The first cruise ship of the year has arrived in the Maldives, signaling a positive start to the peak tourism season.

MS Crystal Symphony arrived on Monday carrying 479 tourists and 491 crew members. The vessel travelled to the Maldives from Seychelles, bringing the total number of arrivals from the cruise ship to 970.

Maldives Immigration confirmed that clearance was issued to all passengers and crew members who arrived on board the ship.

Tourist arrivals to the Maldives have continued to rise during the peak season, with more than 93,000 tourists having arrived in the country so far this year.