In an effort to win over Indian tourists to return to the Maldives, the major tourism body of Malé, the Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) has announced that it will hold road shows across imminent Indian cities. This comes as the number of Indian tourists, including celebrities, traveling to the Maldives declined rapidly as they began to “Boycott Maldives” after three Maldivian ministers made derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
As per the latest data released by the Maldives tourism ministry, in March 2024, just 27,224 India n tourists visited the Maldives, as compared to more than 41,000 Indian tourists who visited the island nation in March 2023, showing a steep decline of 33%. The Maldives Travel agency has met with the Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives, Munu Mahawar to explore collaborative efforts for tourism promotion. The association expressed its intention to collaborate closely with the Indian High Commission to bolster tourism initiatives, adding that they are planning to launch comprehensive roadshows across key cities in India to facilitate influencer and media familiarisation trips to the Maldives in the coming months.
According to the Maldives Tourism Ministry statistics, the number of tourists from India began to decline from January onwards as the country, from being in the first position in 2023, dropped to fifth position in January.
The Tour Association stated that for the agency, India remains a vital market, and looks forward to partnering with prominent travel associations and industry stakeholders across India to bolster tourism and promote the island nation as a premier travel destination. MATATO noted that reports reveal that by 2030, India will ascend to become the sixth-largest outbound travel market globally, and thus the travel agency is keen to attract the potential market.
Pertinently, India’s expanding middle class is expected to contribute a sizable $144 billion per annum to global tourism spending by 2030, garnering significant attention and investment from global entities in the hospitality, airline, and tourism sectors.
Comments