Maldives tour package prices DROP massively amid diplomatic row with India
Times of India report, tour operators have seen a noticeable decline in enquiries and a significant drop in prices for Maldives holiday packages despite multiple long weekends in January. The ToI report cited the example of Hyderabad, wherein a three-day package from Telangana's capital city to Maldives would cost between ₹55,000 and ₹70,000, now costs ₹45,000. Or even lower! The ToI report also said one-way flight tickets from here to Male are now going between ₹12,000 and ₹15,000, down from the previous average of ₹20,000.
According to The Indian Express’s analysis of data from the tourism ministry in Maldives, Indian residents in 2023 accounted for 11.2 per cent of the total tourist arrivals—18.42 lakh—in the island nation, with Russia being a close second with a share of 11.1 per cent. Travel agents have also mentioned that despite declining enquiry among Indians for Maldives, there has been no cancellations yet. Indian travel booking website, EaseMyTrip, had also announced that it was suspending flight bookings from India to the Maldives.
There are close to 60 flights per week between India and Maldives, of which, Indian carriers operate around 50 flights. IndiGo, Air India, Vistara, and Air India Express currently operate flights between India and Maldives. However, no Indian airline has cancelled their flights despite the row between India and Maldives.
In the absence of Chinese international travelers, Indians emerged as the region’s travel powerhouse in 2023 and are set to be the fourth largest global travel spenders by 2030. According to a CNBC report, India drove $380 million worth of tourism last year to Maldives, which will account for huge losses if #BoycottMaldives intensifies. Milestone Alert!
Livemint
