TOUR operators are seeing “very attractive offers” and discounts of 20 to 30 per cent coming through from the Maldives, which recorded a 7.8 per cent decline in arrivals in the month of January – the fourth consecutive month a decrease was recorded.
China, which in recent years edged out Europe to become the Maldives’ top source, has been in the doldrums since September, declining by 1.7 per cent in September, 3.5 per cent in October, 4.9 per cent in November, 12.2 per cent in December and a whopping 33.1 per cent in January.
Adding to the woe, Russia unsurprisingly was the worst performing market in January, dipping 38 per cent, latest figures from the Maldives Ministry of Tourism shows.
All this saw Europe back as the number one market to the Maldives, its market share rising from 43.9 per cent in December to 54.1 per cent in January. Italy rose 16.9 per cent in January, the UK 6.6 per cent and Germany 8.7 per cent. With Lufthansa looking to operate twice-weekly Frankfurt-Malé flights, Europe is likely to hold on to its regained position.
David Kevan of Chic Locations UK, said the offers, in the form of extra free nights, room or meal upgrades, etc, help as the British pound has fallen against the US dollar, the hotel currency in the Maldives.
Mohamed Riyaz, managing director of Lets Go Maldives, said hotels have been discounting 20-30 per cent since January and are planning more discounts for summer. He said this would help bring back the volume, particularly travellers who have stayed away because of prices.
Holidays in paradise have never been cheap. Said Kevan: “We are upfront and tell clients the Maldives is an expensive destination and they need to budget US$300 daily if the booking includes breakfast only.”
Andrew Drummond, general manager of Maalifushi by Como, believes a real luxury market will remain for the Maldives. But he noted that resorts heavily dependent on markets such as China have already started to put out strong offers in the market, “diluting the value of potential business prospecting for a bargain”. – Additional reporting by Feizal Samath
Read the full story in TTG Asia-ITB Berlin 2015 Daily
