Maldives becoming the hot favourite among Indians
Posted on March 24, 2021 by Ghoomophiro
India has developed itself as the topmost source market for the Maldives as visitors from the country rising to a great extent in comparison to the other countries. Dr Abdulla Mausoom, the Minister of tourism from the Maldives stated how after the lockdown, the arrival of Indian tourists increased in comparison to Russia, which was the key market in the earlier days.
The Indian tourists visiting the Maldives account for nearly 23%. This year in the month of February, nearly 44,039 Indian visitors paid a visit to the Maldives and only 40,698 Russian visitors were put into the record. While visiting India, Mausoom told TOI that in the upcoming year Maldives expects a greater Indian footfall and has plans to portray this island as an attractive investment destination. The Tourism minister hopes to have 1.5 million visitors this year and expects 10 million bed nights at hotels and accommodations across the Maldives.
Mausoom expresses his gratitude to PM Modi for providing vaccines and establishing the tourism bubble and also for giving permission to travel. It is due to the support extended by the Indian tourists and government that the economy of the island is able to recover fast.
By opening 28 islands for development, increasing the number of flights, boosting the capacity of the airport to serve more rush, and encouraging people to invest in the island, the minister expects that the country would soon woo the Indian market.
Maldives has also planned to bar visitors from carrying any RT-PCR test who have a double dose vaccination certificate, has a longer tourist visa, wants to promote real estate tourism by encouraging people to buy a house and settle down in the island. But according to the current scenario, confirmed booking with the tourism establishment registered under the ministry of tourism and a negative test report is mandatory.
Among the packages set on offer, the ‘vaccination breaks’ is expected to be the biggest draw among the tourists. He further stated, “We plan to introduce a package named 3 Vs- visit, vaccination, and vacation. Like last year, this will allow people to spend longer time in the Maldives while also getting the vaccine shots”.
Last year, Maldives came to a standstill during the outbreak of the pandemic as it is a country that is solely dependent on tourism. It was really a tough time for the island when it remained completely devoid of any visitors.
Maldives decided to reopen its gate for the visitors only after following all the stated WHO regulations. The year saw a complete transformation from being a no-arrival island to recording the highest number of footfall.
