Maldives Aims to Reclaim India as a Top 3 Tourism Market

In an effort to reclaim India as one of its top 3 tourism source markets, the Maldives has launched a concentrated campaign to attract Indian travelers back to its peaceful islands. This move come after a diplomatic line last year led to a visible dip in Indian tourist arrivals, approaching India to the sixth spot amid Maldives’ tourism markets.

Maldives Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal is presently on a six-day visit to India, spearheading a sequence of road shows in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru beneath the “Welcome India” initiative. The campaign, orchestrate by the Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), aim to restore India’s place as a key provider to Maldivian tourism.

In a conference, MMPRC CEO & Managing Director Ibrahim Shiuree shared insight with The Indian Express on the Maldives’ considered efforts to woo Indian tourists, the existing footfall from India, and the common tourism relationship amid the two nations. 

“India has been an important provider to Maldives’ tourism industry for many years, especially through the pandemic. Currently, it ranks sixth in our top 10 markets this year,” Shiuree noted. “The top marketplace for the Maldives now is China. As of July 30, 2024, a total of 71,381 Indian travelers have visited Maldives — 6.1% of the generally tourist market split. We have high hopes that with activities such as this roadshow, we will be proficient to recover this shape even further and re-establish India amongst the top three markets.”

To increase tourism numbers back to last year’s figures, when over 200,000 Indians visit Maldives, Shiuree emphasized a data-driven advance. “We are employing a data-driven approach that covers everything: from promote the intention to accommodation, services, and USPs in arrange to boost statistics from India. We are positioning Maldives as a year-round destination through strategic campaigns. Maldives can be an attractive and affordable short-haul destination for Indian traveler, and we plan to freeze its position as the most-preferred holiday destination for Indian tourists during these initiatives.”

Connectivity is a key thing in these efforts. “Currently, there are five airlines flying straight between India and Maldives, operating numerous flights weekly,” Shiuree said. “To further drive tourism enlargement in the market, we are keenly exploring opportunity to increase flight connectivity by introduce additional direct flights from more Indian cities to a variety of regions of the Maldives.”

The tourism connection between Maldives and India is not unfair. Shiuree pointed out that many Maldivians also visit India for different reasons. “While Maldives is a leading tourist destination for Indians, Maldives is also an important outbound market for the Indian tourism manufacturing. Many Maldivians visit Indian cities like Bangalore, Cochin, and Trivandrum, mainly for medical tourism. India is a popular and trust choice for Maldivians looking for advanced medical treatment. Additionally, a significant number of Maldivians also visit India for vacation and shopping. Ooty, for instance, which has geography very special to Maldives, is a esteemed location for Maldivians to stop by on their mode back home from cities more trendy for shopping such as Bangalore or Mumbai.”