Why Maldives are so popular among Chinese tourists?

After the 2023 visa-waiver agreement between China and Maldives officially took effect, there was a surge in searches for trips to the Maldives on Chinese booking platforms, fueled by Chinese tourists’ enthusiasm and rising consumption power.

According to a statement provided by Trip.com Group, formerly known as Ctrip, interest in the Maldives as a holiday destination has increased by 200%.

Statistics from Trip.com also revealed that since February 6, reservations for Maldives-related goods have surged by 50% month-over-month. Regarding reservations for the group tours and self-guided tour items on the marketplace, the Maldives was also among the top five international vacation destinations.

The Maldives, with an exotic and beautiful collection of more than 1000 islands located in the Indian Ocean has become a dream destination for Chinese tourists a long time ago before the pandemic.

The Maldives has become one of the most desired destinations for Chinese tourists, according to China’s Tourism Bureau.

Prior to 2020, the Chinese market typically dominated the records for arrivals to the Maldives, but the COVID-19 epidemic had an influence on outward travel from the two nations. With 284,029 arrivals in 2019, China was the biggest source market. With 34,245 arrivals in 2020, this number slipped to sixth place and continued to decline over the following two years.

There are two main reasons for the Maldives growing popularity as a destination for the Chinese population. The first is the increase in the number of direct flights between Maldives and Mainland China. The other reason is due to the information and positive comments that Chinese travellers have found on social media platforms. This information has awoken their interest in the Maldives.

Maldives have become more appealing to a lot of Chinese seeking to change from other beaches in South East Asia.

Thanks to a strong Maldives – China Partnership, tourists do not need a visa to visit the islands. This change in regulation is amongst the first criteria when Chinese tourists select their travel destination.

Beyond this, the Maldives have characteristics increasingly sought after by Chinese outbound tourists :

Unique culture

The Maldives are known over the world for their stunning landscapes but also have a rich and exotic culture. Its culture is a combination of Arabian, Sinhalese and South Indian influences.

The male is home to the majority of the cultural attractions in the Maldives with places such as the Presidential palace, Sultan Park, the National Museum, and Male Fish Market.

Due to the vast number of tourist places, Male is a popular destination for Chinese tourists who love visiting cultural attractions.

Luxury accommodations

Most of the resorts in the Maldives are stunningly upscale, matching the expectation of Chinese tourists. With the rise of disposable income and their culture of “money can buy everything”, these top-notch resorts are a perfect fit for these premium tourists: VIP services, heavenly surroundings… Everything a Chinese tourist can want on holidays

Incredible landscape

Crystalline blue waters, white sand and palm trees are the main features of each of the many islands that make up the Maldives. In that idyllic scenery, Chinese tourists can relax and enjoy beautiful views in a peaceful place.

Besides, there are many reefs for snorkelling where tourists can get the chance to see over 1000 varieties of marine life. Nowadays, many Chinese are starting to experiment with water sports such as diving and snorkelling, and Maldives seems the perfect destination to start.

Culinary Delights

Chinese tourists in the Maldives have three different options for dining. They can enjoy international cuisines in luxury restaurants, affordable local meals in rural areas or dining in the cities such as Male and Addu.

Travellers can enjoy the authentic Maldivian experience through the most typical local dishes as riha curry and spicy fish cakes called kulfi borkibaa.

The traditional cuisine in Maldives is based on fish that are usually spicy. This is a point in favour due to the strong relationship between the Chinese population and the spicy.

Maldives is a premium choice country for Chinese tourists.

As we see, Maldives is a destination with stunning scenery and with the best available tourist services. This country offers Chinese travellers some of the finest hotels and spas in the world, a factor that is very valued by Chinese tourists.

Not all Chinese are aware of all the spectacular features the Maldives have to offer. They need to be shown to Chinese netizens in order to

• Have them choose the Maldives as a tourist destination
• Have them choose your resort as must use tourism company

What do you need?

• In China, there are about 1 billion netizens!
• The Chinese going abroad are in the vast majority at least above average earners.
• In addition, 70% of the bookings in China are done online.

Expert Tips: How to attract Chinese travellers Online?
1. Build an website in Mandarin
2. Rank it higher on Baidu: SEO or PPC 
3. Register on Chinese OTA: Quanar or CTrip
4. Build up communities around your official WeChat and Weibo accounts

Attracting Chinese tourists in 2023 is all about Digital 

Presence online is a must-have to increase your number of Chinese tourists, the biggest spenders in the tourism industry.

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