Tourism Minister of the Maldives, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom has held discussions with High Commissioner of India to the Maldives H.E. Sunjay Sudhir. According to a tweet by the Ministry of Tourism, the discussion involved increasing Indian tourist arrivals to the Maldives and networking between Indian investors and Maldivian SMEs. In addition to that minister also discussed human resource development for the tourism sector.
Maldives-India Air Bubble
Minister Mausoom and Commissioner also praised the commencement of the Maldives-India Air Bubble. Earlier this month, Minister also held a virtual meeting with Jyoti Mayal, President of Travel Agents Association of India, and Mr. Anoop Kanuga, Chairman of the India Tourism Council. According to the Ministry of Tourism, the virtual meeting was held to discuss the ways to best reap the opportunities of India-Maldives Air Bubble.
Indian Tourist Market
In 2019, India was the fastest-growing source market for Maldives tourism. The Indian tourist market to Maldives saw a staggering growth last year with an annual growth of 83.5%. The Air Bubble between the Maldives and India will ease travel between India and Maldives while maintaining health standards. In August, Maldives has revealed several key initiatives with India in order to boost tourism and connectivity between the two nations.
Maldives Tourist Arrivals
Tourism Minister Mausoom earlier revealed an ambitious goal to welcome 500,000 tourists to the Maldives in 2020. However, the minister indicated 120,000 is the lowest figure for the remainder of the year. The popularity of Maldives in different markets remains strong as proven according to various statistics. Tourist arrivals to the Maldives reached 7,628 in August 2020. An average of 218 visitors arrived per day to the island archipelago in August.
Tourist Arrivals to the Maldives grows as the Maldives opened its borders to all travelers on 15th July 2020. Furthermore, the numbers are expected to rise higher with the reopening of additional resorts and resumption of guesthouse tourism in October.
