Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih shared his vision to attract three million annual tourists in the next five-year period.
While President Solih announced his vision amid his presidential campaign as the Maldives is getting ready for its presidential election in September, the incumbent president said the target is to increase annual tourist arrivals beyond five million next.
President Solih emphasized on the government’s efforts to boost tourism activity in the Maldives during a recent campaign trip. He said the Maldives is now aiming to increase its economy, and claimed a key strategy for his is to enhance and upgrade the international airports in the Maldives including Gan, Hanimaadhoo and Velana International Airport.
Besides the development of the international airports, President Solih shared his vision to enhance the Raajje-Transport Link (RTL) high-speed ferry service to connect all the atolls in the Maldives and develop regional airports to enhance tourist movements within the country.
“Through this approach, we envision that annual tourist arrivals to the Maldives will exceed three million by 2028, and our target is to achieve five million arrivals annually [next]”, the Maldives head of state said.
The Maldives president further said that the government is currently aiming to attract 1.9 million tourists by the end of 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
The government previously spent USD 3 million on tourism promotion per annum, which has been increased to USD 10 million reflecting positive growth in tourist arrivals with new tourism promotion efforts targeted in previously untapped markets.