The recent uptick in US tourists to the Maldives was down to strong online marketing, state-owned tourism promotion body said Tuesday.
In an exclusive interview with AVAS, Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC) acting managing director Haris Mohamed said the country was now enjoying the efforts to boost Maldives tourism on online platforms back in 2015.
"Statistics have shown us that stories about the Maldives is of highest interest in the US. So both good and bad, Americans read what's written about the Maldives. The boost in US tourists to the Maldives is down to the stronger online marketing we've done since 2015," Haris explained.
Haris also hailed the boost as a major achievement especially since there are no direct flights from the US to the Maldives.
"If you consider the connectivity, most flights are with at least one or two stopovers. We're talking about long haul flights. Once we can address that after the airport expansion project is completed, it will definitely get even better," he added.
US holidaymakers has been on a steady rise in 2017 so far with as many as 34,411 tourists visiting various hospitality venues of the tropical island destination. This is a 20.1 percent increase compared to last year's 28,651 of US tourists.
