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Maldives Association Of Tourism Industry

The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization formed in 1982, for the purpose of developing tourism in the Maldives. More than four decades of MATI’s service has been provided to almost all the travel and tourism related issues which arise in Maldives.

A key function of MATI is coordinating with all mandatory government policy making bodies to align new laws, regulations and guidelines to Tourism Industry best practices.

Additionally, we represent the industry internationally and locally by attending different seminars, organizing and providing research and offering professional consultation to governmental, private and international organizations.

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• Sustainable Tourism Development
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Make Maldives the World Leader in Sustainable Tourism.

Continuously monitor the internal and external environment for the tourism sector and proactively strive to minimise challenges and maximise opportunities within the industry through engagement and mediation.

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Press Release- The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) holds its 34th Annual General Meeting

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MATI hosts the 2nd edition of the MATI Member Forum

Press Release- Member Forum, 1st Edition, 2023

Industry news.

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Fun, Sun and Adventure Escape for Locals and Work Permit Holders by Ifuru Island Maldives

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Launch Of The ‘Bamboo for Climate Mitigation’ Project by Atmosphere Foundation

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Mr. Ahmed Hafeez (Financial Controller, MATI)

Mr. Ahmed Nazeer (Secretary General, MATI)

Mr. Hussain Afeef (Vice-Chairman, MATI)

Mr. Salah Shihab (Vice-Chairman, MATI)

Mr. M.U. Maniku (Chairman, MATI)

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MMPRC promotes the Maldives at Kazakhstan International Travel Fair 2024 

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/ Visit Maldives) along with 17 co-exhibitors from the Maldives tourism industry is thrilled to announce that we are promoting the Maldives at...

This is your opportunity to become bigger and more prominent in all continents over the world. Becoming a member of MMPRC is quick and convenient. Give us the authority to promote your organization and we will handle the rest.

Maldives Tries to Win Back Indian Tourists As Arrivals Fall 40%

Peden Doma Bhutia , Skift

April 16th, 2024 at 9:11 AM EDT

While Maldives enjoys record-breaking arrivals, its tourism companies aren't about to let the Indian market keep falling. They're on a mission to reverse the trend.

Peden Doma Bhutia

The Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators is determined to increase Indian arrivals to the island destination and is taking steps to achieve this.

“Indian arrivals to the Maldives have gone down by almost 40%,” said Abdulla Ghiyas, the association’s president, in an exclusive interview with Skift.

In early January, #BoycottMaldives started trending in Indian social media following a diplomatic dispute between the two countries. Indians accused Maldivian politicians of making disparaging remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

As a result, India, which was the number 2 source market for Maldives, has now fallen to number 6 . India’s share of visitors had been almost 11% – it has shrunk to 5.6%.

Promotions in Indian Cities

Ghiyas said the association will be hosting roadshows in 3 Indian cities in July and confirmed to Skift that one of the cities would be Bengaluru.

The association also plans to engage with Indian social media influencers. “We also want to see how we can work with the tourism board in Maldives as we have partnered with them in the past as well. There are talks that the tourism board is also planning of doing something in India,” Ghiyas said.

At the July roadshows, he said he’s keen to look at cities that have direct connectivity with Maldives.

Ghiyas expressed a desire to have conducted the roadshow earlier, noting that May is when Indian outbound travel peaks. However, he mentioned plans for another round of roadshows towards the end of the year, aiming to include Tier 2 cities. “Even if they lack direct flights to the Maldives, these cities would represent an important market for us,” he said.

Maldives has so far received (from January 1-April 15) 693,867 tourists, up from 606,395 arrivals for the same period last year, as per the latest data from the Maldives tourism ministry.

China is the top source market for the island destination, followed by UK and Russia.

Between January 1-April 15, almost 39,000 Indians visited Maldives, a decline of almost 40%, compared to the 64,250 arrivals for the same period last year.

“We might not talk immediately about the growth scenario, but I would definitely like to see the 40% decline narrow down,” Ghiyas said.

Can’t Ignore India

While Maldives has experienced record-breaking tourism arrivals so far, Ghiyas said it still needs India. “There are properties and resorts that rely heavily on the Indian market, which have been severely affected. This will hurt us in the long term and that is why we have decided to engage with the India market.”

Aminath Suzan, CEO of Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators, pointed to cultural ties, such as similarities in food, language, and pop culture. “We must ensure that unrelated matters do not negatively impact the bond, for which we have dedicated years and built this alliance.”

MATATO Meets with Indian High Commissioner to Foster Tourism Cooperation The Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) engaged in a productive meeting with His Excellency Munu Mahawar, the Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives, to explore collaborative… pic.twitter.com/PNXiy3QdVz — MATATO – PATA Maldives Chapter (@matatoMV) April 9, 2024

The association members also recently met with Munu Mahawar, the Indian high commissioner in Maldives, to collaborate closely with his office to boost tourism initiatives.

Dubbing the meeting with Mahawar “positive,” Ghiyas said the high commission has offered assistance to the association. “Once we have a concrete plan, we will definitely follow up with the High Commission and share our plans.”

Skift India Report

The Skift India Report is your go-to newsletter for all news related to travel, tourism, airlines, and hospitality in India.

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Tags: asia monthly , china , india outbound , islands , maldives , social media , tourism marketing

Photo credit: Ritz Carlton Maldives Fari Islands. Fari Islands

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Indian tourists ditch Maldives amid row as numbers drop 40%; China arrivals up 200%

A report by the maldives' ministry of tourism showed that as many as 56,208 indian tourists had visited maldives between january and march 2023. this number declined to 34,847 in the january-march 2024 period..

The number of tourists from India to the Maldives declined by almost 40 per cent during the January-March 2024 period as compared to the data from the same period in 2023. At the same time, the total number of tourists from China shot up by over 200 per cent.

The Maldives' Ministry of Tourism released its monthly report on tourist arrivals recently. The data showed the tourist arrivals in the island nation between January and March this year.

ALSO READ: How did China strengthen its bond with Maldives amid India exit? 10 key collaborations between Male, Beijing

The report revealed that as many as 56,208 Indian tourists had visited Maldives between January and March 2023. This number declined to 34,847 in the January-March 2024 period. This was a 38 per cent decline from 2023.

Meanwhile, 17,691 tourists from China visited Maldives during January-March 2023. The tally rose to 67,399 during January-March 2024 — recording a spike of 281 per cent.

ALSO READ: Maldives snubs India over hydrographic survey deal after signing military pact with China

As per the latest data, India ranks sixth in the top 10 markets for Maldives tourism, while China ranks No. 1 with an 11 per cent share.

The data holds significance as India once used to be a significant and top-most contributor to the Maldive's tourism statistics. Indians were only second to Russia in the chart showing tourist arrivals in the Maldives by nationality in January-November 2023. The increase in arrivals from India started in 2020, as compared to that from China.

Before 2020, people from China were leading the tourism charts in the Maldives. In 2020, China had an 18.31 per cent share among ‘Top Ten Markets Arrivals’ in Maldives, the highest that year.

India dominated the Maldives tourism market until December last year. Its position started declining starting January 2 this year, when India ranked third among the top 10 countries that make up most of the Maldives' tourism market share. India's rank further plunged to fifth on January 21 and then to sixth on March 3.

Since then , China has steadily climbed the chart from 10th to the first spot.

India-Maldives row

The drop in tourists from India was seen soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi attempted to promote Laskhwadeep as a tourist destination, triggering a row in the Maldives in the first week of January this year. Later, Maldives' President Mohamed Muizzu requested India to withdraw its troops stationed in the island nation.

The declining number of tourists from India and the subsequent increase in that from China is in line with Muizzu's policies and deals that seem to snub India and welcome China.

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Sharp drop in number of Indian tourists to Maldives in 2024 after diplomatic row

F ewer Indians travelled to the Maldives in the first three months of this year, data has revealed. The drop in the number of Indian tourists visiting the Indian Ocean nation comes against the backdrop of a diplomatic row between Delhi and Male.

According to tourism statistics from Maldivian authorities, a total of 34,847 Indians visited the Maldives between January to March this year. This was a sharp 38 per cent drop from last year when more than 56,000 tourists visited the Maldives during the same period.

A total of 12,792 Indians (7.1 per cent of the total population) visited the island nation in January 2024, the statistics revealed. 

In February, a total of 11,522 Indian tourists visited the Maldives, as compared to a total of 19,497 the same month last year. 

In March this year, only 8,322 Indians visited the nation, as compared to a total of 18,099 during the same month in 2023. 

The data comes following an 'India Out' campaign by Maldivian president Mohamed Muizzu and the subsequent 'Boycott Maldives' trend that gained popularity on social media in India. 

Later, the 'Visit Lakshadweep' trend gained popularity on the internet after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Lakshadweep islands.

The data also shows a steady rise in Indians visiting the island nation in recent years. According to the data, 1 lakh Indians visited the Maldives in 2018. The number increased to 1.6 lakh in 2019. 

In 2021, the number of Indian tourists to the Maldives increased to 2.91 lakh, as the country eased its Covid-19 restrictions. 

The recent diplomatic row between India and the Maldives erupted after three  deputy ministers of the Maldives posted derogatory comments  against Prime Minister Narendra Modi,  folllowing the latter's visit to Lakshadweep .

President Muizzu suspended the three ministers  over their social media postings that stirred concerns in India and sparked a boycott call on social media.

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