The Ministry of Tourism has set a target of bringing in two million tourists in the new year beginning tomorrow through tourism promotions aimed at new markets.
Speaking on PSM's "Raajje Miadhu" program, Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal mentioned that many people are hesitant to travel for holidays, attributing it to the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts.
He added that discussions and planning are underway to collaborate with the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) for tourism promotion activities aimed at targeting new markets, as well as exploring new avenues for tourist arrivals to the Maldives.
"I believe MMPRC has a very capable Managing Director. Together with the entire team and the Ministry of Tourism, we are all working collaboratively to increase [the number of tourists] to over two million," Minister Faisal stated.
As part of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's vision, a special tourism council is being established, and efforts are underway to diversify tourism in the Maldives.
The ministry has prepared a detailed paper for the purpose and has discussed the introduction of eco-tourism and heritage tourism, he said.
The target of attracting 1.8 million tourists set in this year's budget has been achieved.
As of this year, the highest number of tourist arrivals in the Maldives has been from Russia, with 200,000 tourists. India followed closely with the second-highest number of arrivals at 199,000. China, which ranks third in tourist arrivals, has received 183,000 visitors so far this year.
Tourists visiting the Maldives for holiday this month spent an average of 7.4 days, which is lower than the average spent in November. This is six percent lower compared to the same month last year. In January and February of this year, tourists spent an average of eight days in the Maldives.
Last year, tourists spent an average of eight days in the Maldives. However, this year, the average duration had decreased to 7.6 days.
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