In a move aimed at enticing Indian tourists back to the Maldives, a prominent tourism organisation in the Maldives has announced its intention to conduct roadshows across key Indian cities.
As the number of Indian tourists visiting the Maldives continues to dwindle, the Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) engaged in discussions with India’s High Commissioner in the Maldives, Munu Mahawar, to explore opportunities for enhancing travel and tourism cooperation between the two nations.
The Maldives faced significant backlash following derogatory comments made against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi by three Maldivian officials on social media. This occurred after Prime Minister Modi shared images and videos of the picturesque Lakshadweep Islands on India’s west coast on January 6.
The negative response led to numerous Indian travelers, including several celebrities, canceling their reservations and abandoning plans to visit the Maldives. Consequently, the tourism arrival figures reflected a decline in India’s ranking as a visitor country, dropping from the top position to fifth and currently to sixth after January.
According to statistics from the Maldives’ Ministry of Tourism, as of April 10 this year, out of a total of 663,269 tourists, China led with 71,995 visitors, followed by the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, Germany, and India.
Following discussions held at a meeting hosted by the Indian High Commission in Male, MATATO expressed its commitment to collaborate closely with the Indian High Commission in the Maldives to strengthen tourism initiatives, as reported by the Sun.mv news portal.
In this trajectory, plans are currently underway to launch comprehensive road shows across key Indian cities and to facilitate influencer and media familiarisation trips to the Maldives in the upcoming months, it said quoting from the statement.
While India remains a crucial tourist market to the Maldives, MATATO states they look forward to partnering with prominent travel associations and industry stakeholders across India to further promote the Maldives as a premier travel destination, it said.
The Association also attributed its meeting with the Indian High Commissioner as a testament to MATATO’s continued dedication to fostering robust tourism ties between the Maldives and India, which it said, will pave the way for transformative collaborations to drive sustainable growth in the region’s tourism sector.
Earlier before this diplomatic row erupted, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu had, within hours of taking oath last November, asked India to withdraw its 88 military personnel from the country, saying their presence was a threat to his country’s sovereignty.
Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, has announced that no Indian military personnel, even in civilian clothes, would be present in Maldives after all of 88 personnel are repatriated by May 10.
With inputs from PTI
Link to article –
Maldives tourism body plans roadshows in India to attract visitors amid sharp decline
