Male, Maldives (CU)_ Wealthy Indians and celebrities are gathering in Maldives for a vacation. In 2020, Maldives was the holiday destination to around 62,905 Indian tourists, and they were the top source market of that nation last year. The Indian High Commission in Male stated that they accounted for 11.3 percent of the overall market share. Maldives is one of the few countries that welcomed the international tourists during the pandemic times. Five airlines from five Indian cities were operating flights to Male under an air bubble established between the two countries.
Maldives has given free visa-on-arrival to foreign tourists since 15 July 2020. The island does not demand mandatory quarantine or testing for international visitors upon arrival. The website of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) notified about the pandemic rules for tourists in Maldives. It said, “All tourists are required to submit an online health declaration form within 24 hours prior to departure… All tourists are required to hold a negative PCR test for Covid-19 conducted 96 hours prior the scheduled time of departure from the first port of embarkation en route to Maldives”.
Many hotels and resorts have accommodated wealthy and renowned Indians since the country opened up, including Bollywood celebrities such as Tiger Shroff, Tapsee Pannu, Katrina Kaif, Varun Dhawan, Neha Dhupia, Disha Patani, Eli Avram, Mouni Roy and others. Some of their social media posts have provided their followers with a glimpse of this island country where you can really rest, relax and forget about the pandemic.
Thoyyib Mohamed, MD, Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), said it has helped improve the country’s tourism and business. He said, “We have had several top celebrities from India holidaying in the Maldives. This assured others of the stringent safety measures we have taken”. Mohamed added that Maldives had always been a favorite holiday destination for many Indians even before the pandemic. He added, “The Indian market has shown significant growth over recent years and by the end of 2019 the growth was 83.5% with a market share of 9.7 % and ranked second biggest source market in terms of arrivals”.
The website indicated that Maldives is an ideal destination for the honeymoon market and that numerous people around the world visit here for their honeymoons. It said, “Our natural beauty, rich marine life and excellent hospitality makes us a hot spot for honeymooners. India is the world’s second largest wedding market globally, and many Indian tourists visit Maldives for their honeymoon”.
According to the MMPRC website, Indian tourists ranked the second position in Maldives. It said, “Based on the arrival figures of 2019, India is ranked in the second position of the highest performing markets to the Maldives. It is one of the key focused markets after the reopening of borders on 15th July 2020”.
The website further notified the pandemic guidelines to be followed by the tourists. It said, “All tourists are granted a 30-day free visa upon arrival. Quarantine upon arrival is not required. However, if the passenger has a fever, cough or shortness of breath on board the flight or upon arrival, it should be informed to the local health protection agency. All tourists must undergo thermal screening at the arrival terminal (and) wear masks”.
