The Maldives tourism board, Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), will be operating at a budget of USD 20 million in 2025, said Minister of Tourism Ibrahim Faisal.
Faisal said this at the press conference held on Thursday to highlight the success of the recently concluded “Welcome India” 3-City Roadshow aimed at boosting arrivals from the top source market from 2020 to 2023 and encouraging the market to reclaim its spot among top source markets.
While MMPRC has a budget allocation of USD 10 million, Faisal said the tourism board does not raise anywhere near the amount but said he is confident of a stronger budget next year.
The minister had noted Green Tax and TGST among top tax revenue sources to the Maldives, both levied on tourism activities, and added that MMPRC’s budget is funded through one of these sources.
With an increased budget for MMPRC, Faisal hopes the Maldives will have a stronger opportunity to explore new markets while maintaining momentum in traditional ones.
At the press conference, Faisal also noted the inverse relation between tourist arrivals and tourism revenue; noting how the former was increasing whereas the latter was gradually decreasing.
Noting this, the minister said attracting 1.8 million travelers was still better than attracting two million tourists if the tourism revenue increased in parallel with the arrivals. The Maldives Tourism Minister also said that the country’s tourism industry will observe an estimated 10 to 20% revenue increase during the low season next year.
He also noted that the current administration is ready to listen to the industry’s issues to solve them.