Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Mohamed Ameen has expressed confidence that the number of tourists visiting the Maldives this year will not fall below last year's total, despite global challenges affecting international travel.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with PSM News on efforts to strengthen the country's tourism industry, Minister Ameen said the government was working to minimise the impact of global disruptions on the sector.
The minister noted that the conflict in the Middle East had caused significant disruptions to international travel, with the Maldives also feeling the effects. He said the government had given special priority to reducing the overall impact on tourism throughout the year.
"We are working to mitigate these challenges and reduce the losses as much as possible over the course of the year. Last year was the strongest year ever for the Maldives' tourism industry. If we finish this year without falling below last year's arrival figures, or even match those numbers, that would be a significant achievement. It would reflect the results of the joint efforts by the government, the tourism industry and all stakeholders," Ameen said.
The minister said the decline in tourist arrivals compared with last year had already narrowed considerably. Based on bookings for the third and fourth quarters, as well as assessments by industry experts, he said there was strong confidence that the Maldives would finish the year without falling below last year's arrival figures.
Ameen explained that the conflict in the Middle East had forced changes to international flight routes and increased travel costs, creating obstacles for destinations such as the Maldives. He said the impact had been particularly noticeable in European markets, where flight route changes and higher fuel prices had adversely affected the tourism industry.
He also noted that Middle Eastern countries are an important source market for the Maldives, and instability in the region had affected visitor numbers from those markets. However, he said the government had reduced the impact by introducing new marketing strategies and expanding its focus to other markets, helping to maintain tourist arrivals.
According to the latest statistics released by the Ministry of Tourism, 1,198,343 tourists have visited the Maldives so far this year. This is 4.6 per cent lower than the 1,256,306 arrivals recorded during the same period last year.
However, the year-on-year decline for the current month has narrowed to 1.4 per cent, indicating an improvement in arrival trends.