Destination Maldives: tourism undeterred amid diplomatic tussles

On March 1, Maldives came a tad closer to India with the launch of Manta Air’s direct commercial flight from Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International airport to Dhaalu airport in the pristine island nation. It was welcomed by the Indian Hhigh Ccommission’s first secretary Kiran Khatri among other officials. 

On March 1, Maldives came a tad closer to India with the launch of Manta Air’s direct commercial flight from Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International airport to Dhaalu airport in the pristine island nation. It was welcomed by the Indian High Commission’s first secretary Kiran Khatri among other officials. 

Though this comes at a time when Maldives walks a diplomatic tightrope with India, it was welcomed by Indian travellers. “We announced the commercial flight just a few days before the launch and still saw an impressive 50% load on the first flight,” Mohamed Khaleel, chief executive officer of Manta Air, said during a conversation with The Hindu Weekend. “The consumer enquiries are very strong for this route especially Indian families with kids,” he added.

Weeks after the diplomatic spat that sparked the ‘Boycott Maldives’ trend online, Indian travellers continue to consider the archipelagos in the Indian Ocean their summer getaway, industry numbers reveal. This comes after a blip in the Indian tourist numbers to the coral islands, which ranked highest in 2023 and slid down to the fourth rank during the first half of January, as per a report released by the Maldives Tourism Ministry.

Apart from the stunning beaches, which have always been a draw, the accessibility of the destination, free visa on arrival, and fairly affordable return tickets continue to be a big draw. Khaleel and tourism officials see this trend continuing in 2024 given the rapidly growing Indian middle class, with cooperation from both private and Government authorities to tap into the lucrative tourism market between the countries.

The fact that the direct flight from Bengaluru readily got a nod from the Ministry of Civil is one of the indicators of this. The airline’s deputy CEO Ahmed Maumoon said, ”The Government was extremely supportive and there was no disruption in business as usual for launching this flight.”

Eliminating the need for Indian travellers to transit through Male, this three hour-long flight saves travellers both time and cost by providing travellers direct access, via five-25 minutes speed boat rides, to the over 11 properties nestled in and around Dhaalu Atoll.

A round trip on this flight will cost an Indian passenger about $300 (Rs 25,000) as compared to $800-900 (Rs 66,000 - 75,000) for the traditional route via Male. Moreover, tourists will save almost a full day of travel, which includes driving to the international airport in Male followed by a limited frequency of sea planes to various resorts.