It is important to allow more airlines to fly to Maldives: Adheeb

Tourism Minister Ahmed Adheeb has said that it is important to allow a more airlines to fly to Maldives, if it wants to increase the number of tourists coming into the country.

Speaking at a function held in Jumeirah Vittaveli Resort to inaugurate FlyDubai flights operating to the Maldives, Adheeb said that everybody agrees that good air connectivity is essential to develop the tourism industry.

“When we increase air connectivity, we can further expand the tourism industry and make it more attractive to tourists, and make our marketing efforts much easier,” said Adheeb.

He also said that as a result of the FlyDubai flights, tourists will come to Maldives from more markets around the world and that it will be possible for Maldivians to fly to Dubai at a lower cost. He also said it will facilitate expansion of Maldives tourism.

“With the start of FlyDubai flights, our beautiful country is now open to a new array of tourists. It is also now possible for Maldivians to fly to Dubai at a lower cost,” Adheeb said.

He said that Maldives currently has 106 resorts and that great efforts are being made to market the Maldives around the world. He noted that the country is participating in road shows, fame trips and global advertising campaigns to promote tourism.

The result is that tourists from the Middle East totaled up to 21,843 last year, which the Minister said, is a 49.9 percent increase.

“Jointly with the Maldivian tourism industry, we have participated in the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) as a means to specially target the Middle East. Maldives is now a notable destination in the Middle East,” noted the tourism minister.

He said that unlike some other countries, Maldives is open to all airlines and that the opportunity is always open for airlines which are interested in conducting scheduled flights to the Maldives, and that they are always welcome in the Maldives.

He said that he hopes that the new FlyDubai flights will increase the amount of tourists that come to the country.

FlyDubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said that Maldives is the first destination they have commenced new flights to in 2013 and that the airline is proud to have started flights between the Maldives.

He also said that the first and foremost priority of the airline is to provide an excellent service to their customers and also to enable their customers to come to a beautiful country like Maldives at a low cost.

He assured the Maldives Tourism Minister that the faith he had put in them will not be lost and that business is something that has to be done in a way that benefits both parties. Ghaith Al Ghaith said that they will give their full support to bring more tourists to Maldives.

A number of parties affiliated with FlyDubai airlines also participated in the ceremony. They include Regional Director of Passenger Satisfaction and Revenue at Boeing Commercial Airplanes Kent Craver, the Chief Financial Officer of Jumeirah Group Adrian Bradley and the President of DTI Solutions Patrick Préfontaine. A large number of European and Middle Easter press agencies also attended the ceremony.