Maldives aims to attract Indian tourists once again: To get Indian tourists to come back, a big tourism group from the Maldives said they’re going to put on events in popular cities in India. The number of Indian visitors to the island went down a lot after some Maldivian officials spoke out against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January.
The Maldivian ministers realized they made a mistake when the number of Indian tourists kept dropping during tense times between the two countries. Now, they want to fix things by holding roadshows. These events will be organized by the Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO).
The MATATO association wants to work closely with the Indian High Commission in the Maldives to improve tourism. They plan to do this by organizing big roadshows in India’s main cities and inviting influencers and media to visit the Maldives in the coming months.
Maldives aims to attract Indian tourists once again
The association mentioned that India is a really important market for tourism in the Maldives. They’re excited to team up with big travel groups and others in India to make the Maldives even more popular as a top place to visit. According to the official information from the Maldives Ministry of Tourism, there were fewer Indian travelers visiting the island nation after the disagreement.
In 2023, most of the tourists who visited the Maldives were from India, with over 2,09,198 Indian visitors out of a total of over 17 lakh tourists. But then, Indian tourist numbers dropped to the fifth position. Now, the Maldives wants to attract Indian tourists again.
Earlier this year, in January, Prime Minister Modi visited Lakshadweep and talked about it, mentioning the Maldives too. After that, some Maldivian ministers started saying rude things.