Tourist Arrivals Fell 24-25% in April-May, Tourism Minister Says

Tourist arrivals to the Maldives fell by between 24 percent and 25 percent in April and May of this year compared with the same period last year, Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Mohamed Ameen has said. Speaking while sharing information with international media at the World Travel Market held in London in the first week of this month, the Minister said the results of efforts to restore tourist numbers are good and that levels have been brought close to what they were before the Middle East war. The Minister shared the impact on the Maldives' tourism sector linked to the Middle East war, the steps taken by the Maldives to recover from it, and the work being carried out. He said the government's target for tourist arrivals this year is 2.5 million, and he estimated that tourism will grow by 17 percent this year compared with last year. However, he said major difficulties were faced in the first part of the year in reaching these targets because of the Middle East war. The Minister said a special government committee has been formed and that all parties active in the market of the entire tourism industry of the Maldives together need to do a great deal of work. Noting that the government has provided many facilities to recover from this situation, to find more ways to bring tourists and to facilitate that, the Minister said the situation has recovered and been brought very close to previous levels.