Maldives to increase air connectivity to India

"We are in talks with an airline company in India for starting a direct flight between Mumbai and Male by September this year. The airline is currently awaiting the government of India clearance to start the service," said Mahmood Shaugee, minister for tourism and aviation, Maldives.

Talking to reporters here, he said, presently, Male is connected with Bangalore and Thiruvananthapuram directly and there is a huge demand for more flights between the two nations. He said Maldives has been attracting tourists from India, China and Europe in big numbers over the last few years. Last year, it attracted 675,000 tourists from around the world, of which India accounted for 14,000.

This year, it is expecting a growth of around 5 per cent. "As of now, we have not felt any slowdown in the arrival of tourists. But, due to the rising inflation and higher global fuel prices, it may have a marginal impact on the number of tourist arrivals," the minister said.

Shaugee launched Maldives-based hotel group, Hotels & Resorts in Bangalore. The hotel chain has four properties in Maldives.