The Indian Ocean archipelago, the Maldives, is luring Indian tourists by planning to increase the number of direct flights to India. 

Maldivian, the national carrier of the Maldives, plans expanded operations and will target 200,000 Indian tourists, according to the airline.

The Maldives is going after destination tourism. Ibrahim Iyas, Managing Director of the Maldivian, clarified to reporters that, quote, “We never had any issues with India." In fact, the number of Indian tourists visiting the Maldives has gone up. India is also our biggest trade partner.” The airline interacted with the media while celebrating 18 years of service in India.

Maldivian operates five flights a week from Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. The airline is exploring services from other parts of India, especially southern states.

In 2024, 130,000 Indian tourists visited the Maldives. There are more than 100,000 Indian permanent residents in the Maldives. So, Maldivian considers its India routes to be operating as an essential service.

Several private jets from India, especially from Mumbai, bring high-net-worth Indian tourists to the Maldives.

Ahmed Shafeeu, Chairman of Island Aviation Services Ltd, which operates Maldivian, and also Maldives' minister for higher education, said that guesthouses in Maldives allow for affordable tourism, akin to homestays. There are 900 such guesthouses offering budget-friendly stays on the islands. 

 

The Maldives has a tourism-driven economy contributing about 60 per cent to its GDP. The country plans to increase trade with India, as it depends on India for most of its imports.