Maldives' tourism minister declares ATM 2025 'a great success’

Tourism Minister Thoriq Ibrahim declared the 2025 Arabian Travel Market (ATM) as a great success on Thursday, as the mega travel-trade fair draws to an end.

ATM 2025, the biggest travel-trade fair in the Middle East, is taking place at the Dubai World Trade Center from Monday to Thursday.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Thoriq praised Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) and tourism industry stakeholders for a job well done in promoting the Maldives and its natural beauty, culture, cuisine, music, and art.

He said the Maldives’ stall attracted a lot of visitors from across the world.

“We saw a greater number of visitors to Maldives’ stall. And the resorts that took part in the fair received a greater number of appointments than they anticipated. And there was a lot of business exchanges,” he said.

“I believe the Maldives’ stall run by the MMPRC at the ATM is a huge success. All participants are very pleased.”

Thoriq said the ATM is expected to boost tourist arrivals, perhaps beyond the annual arrivals goal of 2.3 million for this year.

He also spoke about the new passenger terminal under development at the Velana International Airport (VIA). The new terminal, which will be large enough to cater to handle up to 7.5 million passengers annually, is slated to open in October.

Thoriq said that one of the most important tasks carried out at the ATM was to engage in talks and sign agreements with international airlines to boost air connectivity to the Maldives.

“We also met with low-cost airlines. We discussed increasing flights to Gan in Addu as well. We held talks with around five airlines. This includes airlines that have discontinued Maldives operations like Wizz Air, flydubai and Gulf Air,” he said.

“We identified what we need to improve next year… And its good that we were able to promote [Maldives] so well here given that that region is a huge market for the Maldives.”

The main theme for the ATM 2025 is "Global Travel: Developing Tomorrow’s Tourism Through Enhanced Connectivity”, underscoring the importance of interlinking borders, industries, and communities to redefine the tourism landscape and drive sustainable practices essential for the future of travel.

A total of 235 representatives from 110 companies is representing the Maldives at this year’s ATM, including hoteliers, tour operators, and other key stakeholders from the tourism sector, joining representatives from some 160 tourist destinations across the world.