Maldives aims to attract 3 lakh Indian tourists in 2025
What's the story
The Maldives government aims to attract 3 lakh Indian tourists in 2025.
The move comes after the number of Indian visitors plunged from the top spot in 2023 to the sixth position in 2024.
Abdulla Ghiyas, chairman of the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), announced monthly events in India as part of a major campaign to achieve the target.
Campaign details
MMPRC unveils comprehensive strategy to boost Indian tourism
The MMPRC's campaign also involves hiring a brand ambassador for Indian mass media advertising and organizing cricket summer camps in the Maldives.
"We are conducting it as a very big campaign," Ghiyas said.
Despite the fall in Indian tourists, overall visitors to the Maldives increased from 1,878,543 in 2023 to 2,046,615 in 2024 with China becoming the top source of tourists followed by Russia.
Airline collaboration
MMPRC collaborates with airlines to enhance tourist access
The MMPRC is also working with both Indian and Maldivian airlines to increase tourist access from more cities in India.
Plans are afoot to launch flights from new destinations like Kolkata, Pune, and Chennai.
This is expected to further increase the number of Indian tourists visiting the Maldives.
Tensions impact
Diplomatic tensions led to decline in Indian tourists
The decline in Indian tourists was blamed on strained relations between Male and New Delhi after three Maldivian ministers made derogatory comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media.
This resulted in Indian tourists taking a negative view of the Maldives along with travel agencies blacklisting the destination.
The number of Indian tourists plummeted from 209,193 in 2023 to 130,805 in 2024.
Relation mending
Diplomatic efforts to mend relations boost tourist numbers
However, a gradual increase in Indian tourists was observed in the last two months of 2024 after diplomatic efforts were made to repair relations.
These efforts included a visit by Maldivian President Mohamad Muizzu to India in October.
This development indicates that the Maldives's new strategy could possibly lead to a significant increase in Indian tourists in 2025.