Tourism representatives propose direct flights to Maldives by local carriers

Dhaka : Maldives has grown to be a popular holiday destination for Bangladeshis in the last few years. About 10 thousand tourists went to Maldives from Bangladesh last year even amid the pandemic. This shows how promising tourism ties can be between both the countries in the coming years.
These insights came forth in a discussion on tourism development between Bangladesh and Maldives held on June 7 at Novo Tower in the capital organised by Novo Tours and Travels.
The discussion was attended by tourism representatives of both countries: Shiruzimath Sameer, High Commissioner of the Republic of Maldives in Bangladesh, Guner Ureya, Ambassador of Kosovo to Bangladesh, Md Rafeeuzzaman, President, Shiblul Azam Koreshi, First Vice President of TOAB, S M Rahman, Managing Director of Novo Tours and Travels, and other high officials from the respective organisations.  
The numbers of travellers visiting Maldives from Bangladesh is on the rise due to the convenient travel facilities the island country offers to Bangladesh such as visa on arrival and no need of prior hotel booking, apart from the amazing tourism facilities, activities and hospitality Maldives offers, said S M Rahman, Managing Director of Novo Tours and Travels. 
He mentioned that Maldives, with its serene sights and environment, beautiful island hotels and fun-filled water sports activities, has become one of the most sought-after honeymoon destinations for Bangladeshis.
Also, it only takes a few hours to reach Maldives from Bangladesh with direct flights which further makes Maldives one of the most visited countries by Bangladeshis.
Thus, tourism development between Bangladesh and Maldives is a dire need of time to further boost travel between the two countries. This led to the discussion held between the tourism representatives of the two countries, claimed Rahman.
For this purpose, Rahman proposed the national flag carrier Biman to consider operating direct flights to Maldives with the aim of catering to the growing demand of travel between Bangladesh and the island nation. 
Over 1 lac Bangladeshi work in Maldives, another market segment the local carriers of Bangladesh can grab, he expressed.    
If local carriers start flying to Maldives, this will create competition in the market and Maldivian Airlines, the only carrier to operate direct flights between Dhaka and Male currently, will then have to reduce its airfare which ultimately will facilitate more travel between the two countries, proposed Rahman.
At the discussion, representatives from the high commission of Maldives and TOAB carried out presentations on tourism potentials of the respective countries highlighting the promise of further development of tourism ties between the two.  
Managing Director of Novo Tours and Travels S M Rahman handed over crests to the High Commissioner of Maldives to Bangladesh, Guner Ureya, Ambassador of Kosovo to Bangladesh, Md Rafeeuzzaman, President of TOAB, Shiblul Azam Koreshi, First Vice President of TOAB and a little memento to the spouse of the High Commissioner of Maldives Ahmed Ishbah Gasim.