Middle East unrest to reduce Maldives' tourist arrivals by up to 35%, says minister

Ongoing unrest in the Middle East is expected to disrupt air travel and reduce tourist arrivals to the Maldives by between 30 and 35 percent, Tourism Minister Thoriq Ibrahim said on Sunday.

Speaking at a news conference at the President's Office, the minister said an average of 8,800 tourists arrived in the Maldives each day last month. He said between 30 and 35 percent of these arrivals were from the Middle East or travelled on regional airlines.

Based on these figures, Thoriq said overall tourist arrivals are expected to decline by between 30 and 35 percent, but did not provide details.

“We are looking at more options,” the minister said.

He said the government is assessing additional measures to attract tourists and identifying alternative markets to reduce the impact of the slowdown.

Thoriq said the government is also exploring ways to increase the frequency of non-transit flights, with a focus on markets such as China and India.

The minister said 4,929 tourists currently in the Maldives have been affected by air travel disruptions linked to the unrest in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport said it is working to bring more airlines to the Maldives to mitigate the impact of the situation.

In a statement, the ministry said flights from the Middle East are important to the economy, particularly the tourism sector. It said the main objective is to reduce difficulties faced by tourists visiting the Maldives, Maldivians travelling abroad, and residents of the country.

The Transport Ministry said it is in discussions with relevant authorities to attract airlines from Southeast Asia, East Asia, and India to support connectivity during the disruption.