Maldives To Hold Roadshows To Woo Indians
To regain and attract Indian visitors, a prominent Maldivian tourism organisation has announced its intention to hold roadshows in key Indian cities. This decision follows a noticeable decline in Indian tourist arrivals, prompted by a boycott initiated by several Maldivian officials against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in January.
Recognising the adverse impact of these actions amid tense political ties, Maldivian authorities are now seeking to mend relations by initiating these tourism roadshows, which will be orchestrated by the Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO).
The association plans to work closely with the Indian High Commission in the Maldives to enhance tourism efforts, with upcoming initiatives including a series of comprehensive roadshows in India and organising familiarisation trips for influencers and media to visit the Maldives in the coming months.
The association emphasised that India remains a key market for Maldivian tourism and expressed eagerness to collaborate with notable travel associations and industry stakeholders throughout India to promote the Maldives as a top travel destination.
According to data from the Maldives Ministry of Tourism, there was a noticeable decrease in Indian visitors following a diplomatic dispute.
Historically, in 2023, Indians constituted the largest visitor group to the Maldives, with 209,198 out of over 1.7 million tourists. However, their numbers fell to the fifth position shortly thereafter. In light of this, the Maldives is now actively seeking to attract Indian tourists once again.
This initiative follows an incident in January when Prime Minister Modi visited Lakshadweep, likening it to the Maldives, which led to negative remarks from Maldivian ministers.
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