The Maldives government has shared its plans to boost annual tourist arrivals from each of the top source markets to one million within the next five years, said Minister of Tourism Ibrahim Faisal.
He said this while speaking at the press conference on Thursday, highlighting the recent success of the “Welcome India” 3-City Roadshow held by the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), NHGAM, and MATATO.
At the press conference, Minister Faisal expressed hope that India will reclaim its spot among the top three source markets for the Maldives by the end of 2024.
With President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s foreign policy of fostering closer ties with all allies, the Maldives expects to rekindle its bilateral ties with India and, in turn, boost the country’s arrivals.
India continued its top-source market streak during the earlier weeks of the year. It had maintained top spot consistently since the pandemic in 2020. However, the arrivals from India dropped after tensions between the country and the Maldives rose after three top Maldives government officials derided Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media.
Despite slipping to sixth rank so far in 2024, Indian arrivals stood at 73,258 as of Wednesday.
The drop in rank prompted the Maldives to bolster its destination marketing efforts in India, along with diplomatic reconciliation officiated by government officials.
The minister said on Thursday that MMPRC is now talking with Indian influencers, with tens of millions in followership, to host familiarization trips.