Faisal: Maldives has high tourist arrivals, but needs to boost duration of stay

Maldives’ focus needs to be not only on boosting tourist arrivals, but also improving the occupancy rate in resorts and increasing the duration of stay, says Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal.

The remarks come as industry experts raise concerns over a lack of increase in revenues despite a rise in tourist arrivals.

At the GM Forum 2024 hosted by travel magazine Hotelier Maldives on Thursday, Faisal said that Maldives is well on track to meeting the record two million arrivals goal it has set for this year.

But he said that Maldives must not only aim to meet its annual arrivals target, but also to boost occupancy rates and extend the duration of stay by tourists.

“Let’s aim not only to reach our ambitious arrivals target. But also, to boost both occupancy rates and extend our travelers stay,” he said.

He said that this is key to Maldives’ goals to lead the world in sustainable tourism and reach the target of USD 6 billion in international tourism receipts by 2027.

“We need to collaborate and work together to achieve this milestone,” he said.

Faisal said that local community engagement is vital to the success of Maldives’ tourism industry. He urged resorts to forge even stronger partnerships with local businesses and communities.

“Let’s collaborate to maximize visitor spending across all atolls and create truly Maldivian experiences that are deeply rooted in our culture and heritage,” he said.

Faisal also encouraged resorts to integrate sustainable practices into daily operations by embracing innovative solutions, and to advance local talent.

The latest statistics released by the Tourism Ministry show Maldives recorded 1,430,756 tourist arrivals as of September 17. This is an increase of 131,044 visitors compared to the same period last year.

However, despite the rise in arrivals, many industry experts have expressed concern that the rise in visitor numbers has not translated into higher earnings.