Cruise passenger arrivals to the Maldives have increased by 175.8 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Data released by the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation show that cruise arrivals rose from 3,753 to 10,351 during the period.

The figures also indicate that business traveller arrivals reached 4,455, reflecting a 1.6 per cent increase compared to last year.

Overall tourist arrivals to the Maldives stood at 758,753 as of 22 April.

China remained the leading source market with 111,380 tourists, followed by Russia with 95,645 visitors. The United Kingdom recorded 70,288 arrivals, while Italy and Germany contributed 63,144 and 51,113 tourists respectively.

Several major cruise liners have called at the Maldives this year, including the AIDA Stella, MS Crystal Symphony, MS Queen Anne, Vasco da Gama.