Maldives emerges as choice holiday spot for Indians to escape Covid-19

Indians are jetting off to the Maldives in ever greater numbers to escape the coronavirus pandemic.

Visitors from the South Asian nation to the sandy paradise known for its clear water and white beaches jumped 50% to just over 44,000 in the first two months of the year versus 2020, figures from the island nation’s ministry of tourism show. Arrivals from China, Japan and South Korea were down around 98%. Tourists from India also made up 23.3% of the total in the two months, the most from any single country.

India reached a grim milestone on April 5 when the government reported over 100,000 new cases on a single day for the first time. The second wave has shuttered businesses once again and sent some cities back into lockdown, triggering a desire to holiday in far-flung destinations. The country’s vaccine roll out has also been slow -- at this rate, it will take 2.4 years to cover 75% of the population with a two-dose jab.

“The Maldives remains the top pick for Indians,” said Pradeep Sharma, owner of Kolkata-based Agwani Travels. “It used to be a high-end destination but now the Maldives is offering good deals on hotels and people have limited options. Thailand hasn’t opened up, Southeast Asia hasn’t opened up. All the Bollywood film stars are doing promotions.”

Local airlines are sensing opportunity, too. Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines Ltd., started non-stop Mumbai to Male flights under a travel bubble agreement between India and Maldives last month, becoming the only airline to offer premium economy class on the route.

“Maldives is one of the most popular holiday destinations among travelers, not just in India, but from around the world,” Vistara’s Chief Executive Officer Leslie Thng said.

The ease of entry is also a big sell. The Maldives has exempted all tourists from mandatory quarantine if passengers test negative for Covid 96 hours before their departure. That’s in contrast to other countries such as the U.K. where overseas trips are effectively banned and any incoming travelers must take multiple Covid tests and undergo quarantine.

Sharma said he is seeing a “drastic” jump in bookings. “There’s a more than 500% increase,” he said.