Minister of Tourism and Environment Thoriq Ibrahim has said that tourist arrivals to the Maldives are on the rise, with the daily average now exceeding 5,000 visitors.
He made the remarks during a press conference held by the Crisis Committee appointed by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, where measures to mitigate the impact of the Middle East conflict were also outlined.
Minister Thoriq noted that while tourist numbers had initially declined due to flight cancellations linked to the conflict, steps taken by the government have helped stabilise and improve arrivals. He said a total of 704,511 tourists have visited the Maldives so far this year, including 56,130 arrivals recorded in the first 11 days of April.
“When observing the numbers in April, on average, 5,103 tourists visit the Maldives daily. This evidently shows progress in the country’s tourism sector,” he said.
The minister added that the government is working closely with airlines to organise a joint marketing campaign based on a “dollar-to-dollar” matching initiative, aimed at boosting tourism demand. Agreements are being signed between airlines and Visit Maldives Corporation to implement these promotional activities.
“In terms of the work being carried out at present, Visit Maldives Corporation is signing agreements with some airlines to carry out marketing activities. Even now, such agreements are being signed,” he said.
Minister Thoriq also assured that there are no issues with fuel supply for resorts and other tourism-related businesses, noting that the government continues to prioritise the development and stability of the tourism sector.