Chinese will account for 10% of Maldives tourist arrivals: MATATO
Beijing Capital Airlines will start its first flight to the Maldives from January 18, followed by China Eastern on 28 January.
China will account for at least 10% of the total tourist arrivals to the Maldives in the coming months, Maldives Travel Agents and Tour Operators Association (MATATO) said Wednesday.
MATATO President Abdulla Ghiyas Riaz told Atoll Times that there is a lot of interest among Chinese tourists to come the Maldives. He pointed out:
"All our members are saying that bookings are coming from China. But all of a sudden, when so many requests start coming in, we are finding it difficult to get rooms from resorts," he said.
Ghiyas said the Maldives would be one of the first destinations for Chinese tourists to come.
"China will account for about 10% of the total tourist arrivals in the near future," he said.
Before Covid-19, China was the single biggest tourist source market for the Maldives.
Beijing Capital Airlines will start its first flight to the Maldives from January 18, followed by China Eastern on 28 January.
Infections in China have spiked after the country dropped its strict zero-cases policy on Dec 7, allowing the virus to spread.
But Maldives government said on Tuesday it would not require travellers from China to produce a negative Covid-19 test or take any additional precautionary measures for arrivals from China, bucking a trend that has seen a number of nations implement such measures as cases surge in China.
