Maldives is still a lucrative market for investment John Keells Holdings said reaffirming the archipelago along with neighbours Sri Lanka as priority markets for hotel expansion.
“We see Sri Lanka as the priority market for further expansion followed by the Maldives which has had very steady growth in the last 10 years," Sunimal Senanayake, Executive Vice President of the group told Asia Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference held in Colombo in partnership with the Sri Lanka Tourism Club.
Tourist arrivals in the Maldives had grown from 600,000 in 2006 to 1.2 million in 2015 but had been flat in the last two years.
“But it seems to be coming back – in the last two months we have seen occupancy levels going up,” Senanayake said.
“And Maldives is one of a kind, unique destinations and very much still in fashion in most generating markets. It still is a lucrative market for investment.”
JKH group has 14 hotels – three in Colombo and eight resorts in Sri Lanka and three in the Maldives.
