Several Maldives tourism and hospitality related ventures show concern on the gradual slip of Chinese tourists amid the ongoing state of emergency.
Since the presidential decree of emergency stretching to 15-days, China had released a travel advisory to its people recommending safe travels and caution while visiting Maldives. Following this, many of the local travel agencies and tour operators report multiple booking cancellations from China market.
A local guesthouse owner operating at the prominent island-hopping destination of Kaafu atoll Maafushi, states that guesthouse businesses are heavily dependent on budget travelers which mainly includes tourists from China, or the Chinese market.
He loathed the significant slip in booking cancellations to the outlet, adding his business had started to reflect on severe financial setbacks due to this.
"The news is spreading fast in China regarding the critical situation of Maldives. It is mostly attached to the ongoing state of emergency and recent news of India's involvement has made it even worse. Many tour operators are contacting us for regular updates about the situation," the guesthouse owner said.
Many other local guesthouses have reported that several bookings from Chinese tourists have been placed on 'hold' without any condition or notifications.
"China travelers contribute to a large portion of budget vacationers visiting Maldives, and even a single booking could amount to huge losses. This is mainly because China bookings usually consist of more 30 pax [travelers] while European bookings mainly consist of 4 pax on a regular basis. These booking cancellations also in turn affect pre-booked excursions as well," a travel agency owner with operations at China, said.
Additionally travel agencies and tour operators claim that some of the Chinese airlines porting in Maldives have announced travel refunds to travelers visiting the Indian Ocean archipelago.
"We are also getting reports that some of the airlines are attempting to cease their operation to Maldives," another on condition of anonymity said.
"Several bookings from China has been cancelled already, and an investment from a Chinese entrepreneurship has been cancelled as well. No one is willing to fly here because of the state of emergency. Who would want to risk it anyways?" a local hospitality business owner said.
"This is the peak season, and the loss we are facing now will increase by the time we reach off-peak season. We will experience significant loss because of booking cancellations," he added.
Maldives Tourism Ministry indicated China had a total of 306,530 holidaymakers visiting the country during 2017. Chinese travel market contributed a significant 22% in Maldives tourism last year.
