The Maldives has been a part of the air bubble from the start. Has that been encouraging news for you?
Air travel bubble, which was initiated between India and Maldives was one of the first in this region. That has indeed created a positive pathway for additional flights from India giving much required opportunities to travellers to visit Maldives. Because of this early initiation, the arrival from India is increasing. After reopening our borders, we have recorded 9,764 arrivals from the India market and it holds the second place in our market ranking.
How severely, in your opinion, has the tourist traffic between the two countries been affected?
By the end of 2019, we had recorded 166,030 arrivals from India and it is our second biggest source market. Due to the pandemic and border closure, our tourism industry is one of the most affected sectors and until now, all the authorities, especially Visit Maldives, is trying out every effort to regain the arrivals and recover our markets such as India with their various efforts.
Most of the people consider Maldives to be an “expensive” destination. Do you think that’s true? How do you plan to break that perception?
Maldives is perceived as a luxury destination across the globe, however, we do have affordable options as well .Over the past years we have diversified our tourist offerings. Currently we have 159 resorts with different star categories that cater to everyone. Furthermore, we now have 552 guesthouses, which are located in local islands that are perfect fits for the budget travellers and for those seeking to experience the local culture and cuisines. Additionally, we have 130 live boards in Maldives, catering to a comprehensive range of accommodation facilities on board. Cruising on a live-board is an ideal way to explore the country. With that being said, we continuously put efforts in creating an awareness for all the product range we offer to our travellers.
Again, talking about perceptions, Maldives is also looked upon as a ‘Honeymoon getaway’. How are you planning to pitch it to family vacationers?
We are truly blessed with abundant natural beauty and excellent hospitality, which makes us an excellent destination for honeymoon couples. However, our tourism industry’s diverse product range and experiences caters to various segments such as family holidays. The fun side of life is specifically focused on the families that travel to Maldives. From kids’ activities to family oriented excursions and activities, Maldives offers experiences that uniquely caters to every individual.
How important is the India market for you?
Being our closest neighbours, India has become the second largest source market to Maldives in pre-pandemic and it was one of the fastest growing markets in Maldives. Last year, the market share grew significantly to 9.7 % and India became the second largest source market for us. One of the reasons for this is the close proximity between the countries along with strong connectivity. With the upward growing graph that we have seen in the past five years, India has become one of the focused markets to our tourism industry. Hence, we are continuously carrying out various marketing activities to further enhance and increase the arrivals from the India market.
Is there any more information that you would like to share with us?
We re-opened our borders on July 15, 2020 with strict safety measures for our travellers, our resorts, live-boards and guesthouses have now opened their doors for tourists in line with HPA guidelines. Maldives has become the ideal location for travellers as it is geographically blessed by its isolated nature, making it one of the safest destinations to travel to right now. The Maldives has won as the World’s Leading Destination at the World Travel Awards 2020. This award is a true testament of constant efforts done by the stakeholders of the travel and tourism industry and the love for Maldives by our tourists. Further, we foresee a positive change in the arrival numbers in coming days.
Additionally, we have launched a Maldives Border Miles program initiated by Maldives Immigration. This program is a three-tiered loyalty program for tourists. Tourists who enrol in this program will earn points based on the number of visits and duration of stay. Additional points will be awarded for visits to celebrate special occasions. There are three categories in this program; Aida (bronze tier), Anantara (silver tier) and Abaarana (gold tier). Each tier will be defined by a set variety of rewards, services or benefits, which increase in value as member’s progress.
Furthermore, Allied Insurance Company, in association with the Ministry of Tourism, has launched a COVID-19 insurance policy focusing on tourists visiting Maldives. Tourists who do not hold a valid resident visa of Maldives will be eligible for this plan, which comes in two options; Allied Inbound and Allied Inbound Plus. Tourists who are interested in this insurance should apply for the plan 24 hours prior to their arrival in the country through Allied’s website. The resort establishment in which the tourist is staying can also take this plan on their behalf, if the beneficiary will be insured.
