New Delhi: The Maldives will hold road shows in key Indian cities to bring Indian tourists back. After the number of Indian tourists visiting the Maldives decreased, the Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) met with India’s High Commissioner, Munu Mahawar, to discuss ways of improving travel and tourism cooperation between the two nations, PTI reported.
It may be recalled that the Maldives faced severe criticism after three Maldivian officials made derogatory comments about India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media after he shared images and videos of the Lakshadweep Islands on January 6. Many Indians, including celebrities, cancelled their reservations and plans to visit the Maldives. Consequently, India, which was previously a top source of visitors, dropped to fifth place in tourism arrivals statistics for the Maldives, and now it stands at sixth place since January this year.
As of April 10, the Maldives Ministry of Tourism reported that out of the total 663,269 tourists arriving, China had the highest number at 71,995, followed by the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, Germany, and India.
Following talks at a meeting held at the Indian High Commission in Male, MATATO stated its desire to work closely with the Indian High Commission in the Maldives to strengthen tourism efforts, as reported by 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.
The news portal said that MATATO is looking forward to partnering with prominent travel associations and industry stakeholders across India to further promote the Maldives as a premier travel destination. The Association also viewed its meeting with the Indian High Commissioner as evidence of MATATO’s ongoing commitment to strengthening tourism connections between the Maldives and India.
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