THE MALDIVES Tourism Promotion Board opened offices in Beijing and Shanghai earlier this month to attract more visitors from China – which is already its top source of arrivals.
Chen Xueyu, secretary-general of the Shanghai Tourism Trade Association, said the Maldives was one of the most popular overseas destinations among Shanghainese travellers.
Chen added that the opening of the new offices would make it easier for the Maldives tourism authorities to introduce the destination to even more of the Chinese market.
Zou Qingling, deputy general manager, Asia-Pacific region, Shanghai Spring International Travel Service, said the Maldives would continue to be a top destination for the Chinese outbound market even without promotions, and that it was the “first-choice destination for (Chinese) honeymooners”.
Zou predicted that the number of Chinese arrivals to the Maldives would increase to 250,000 this year, up from 200,000 in 2011, and would continue to grow at the rate of 20 to 30 per cent per annum.
Reporting by Hong Xu
