The Maldives is stepping up efforts to rebuild and expand its presence in the Middle Eastern tourism market, with stronger GCC connectivity, halal tourism and new investment opportunities emerging as key priorities for the destination, according to Abdulla Yasir, CEO & Managing Director of Visit Maldives Corporation (National Tourism Board).
Speaking to Gulf Tourism News during Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Dubai 2026, Yasir said the Middle Eastern market remains critical to the Maldives, both as a source of visitors and as a major transit hub connecting international travelers to the island nation.
“2026 has been a challenging year for us with the crisis in the Middle East,” Yasir said, noting that the disruption had a significant impact on visitor arrivals. He highlighted March as a particularly difficult month and said the Maldives is continuing its recovery efforts, with the aim of closing the year around last year’s visitor levels, or slightly below them.
Looking ahead, Visit Maldives is placing renewed emphasis on two segments: travelers originating in the Middle East and international visitors who use the region as a transit corridor to reach the Maldives.
Yasir described the Maldives’ participation at ATM Dubai 2026 as its largest presentation at the event to date, with a delegation of 165 Maldivian travel trade partners attending to promote the destination and strengthen relationships with Middle Eastern tourism stakeholders.
He said the Maldives has particularly high expectations for the Saudi Arabian market, while continuing to develop opportunities across the wider GCC. “It’s very important for us, and we will continue to grow on this,” Yasir said of the destination’s Middle Eastern strategy.
The Maldives is also exploring opportunities to develop halal tourism as an additional segment within its wider tourism offering. Yasir said work is underway to integrate halal tourism into the country’s tourism strategy, including discussions on the potential allocation of specific islands to cater to the halal travel market. While the segment is still at an early stage, the Maldives is exploring opportunities to certify hotels and resorts interested in serving halal-conscious travelers.
“Halal tourism is coming in as a new sector,” Yasir said, adding that properties interested in participating will also be considered as the market develops.
Greater air connectivity between the GCC and Maldives is another major priority as the destination works towards its national target of 3 million tourist arrivals.
Yasir said Visit Maldives is engaging with regional airlines to strengthen and expand connections. Discussions have included Oman Air, Emirates, Gulf Air and Qatar Airways, with the tourism board exploring additional routes and connections. According to Yasir, expanding airline links
will be essential to attracting more visitors from the region and supporting the Maldives’ broader tourism growth ambitions.
The Maldives is also seeing continued interest from Emirati and wider GCC investors seeking opportunities in the country’s tourism sector.
“We have had a lot of inquiries coming in,” Yasir told Gulf Tourism News, adding that Visit Maldives has met with several businesses interested in exploring investment opportunities and will continue working with potential investors. With numerous islands available for tourism development, the country sees investment as an important component of expanding its accommodation capacity and tourism offering.
“Tourism is the number one industry that brings all the revenue to the Maldives as of now,” Yasir said, underscoring the sector’s importance to the Maldivian economy.
Looking beyond the immediate recovery, Yasir highlighted 2027 as Visit Maldives Year, describing it as a particularly significant period for the destination and extending an invitation to travelers from the GCC and around the world.
The campaign is expected to showcase the breadth of the Maldivian tourism offering, with accommodation and experiences available across different price segments. “We have so much to offer,” Yasir said, inviting international and regional travelers to discover the Maldives in 2027.
