India is expected to be the Maldives’ top contributor of tourists by the yearend, said Maldives Tourism Minister Abdullah Shahid, despite the recent drastic drop in the number of tourists from India due to the Covid-19 restrictions. 

Since its reopening of the border in July 2020, India had remained the top source market for the archipelago’s tourism industry until the deadly second wave of Covid-19 hit India in late April, forcing the archipelago to put restrictions on tourists from India.

Following the ban on tourists from the South Asian countries in May, Russia has become the top contributor to the Maldives’s tourism industry which is considered the backbone of its economy.

In an interview with Raajje TV, Shahid said once tourists started arriving into the country from India since borders have been reopened, by the end of the year the arrival market will be led by India. Indian celebrities, particularly the Bollywood set, form a significant chunk of the Maldives' high-end tourist market. 

India, he said, will surpass Russia due to its obvious geographical advantage. However, arrivals from Russia will not drop significantly, as efforts are currently underway to promote Maldives tourism in the Russian market.

So far this year, Russia, with a 24.3 percent market share, the market while India’s share falls to  16.5 percent.  Germany, Ukraine, United States, Kazakhstan, United Kingdom, France, Romania as well as Saudi Arabia are other major contributors. 

(SAM)