FAR FROM THE SHALLOWS

THE POSITIONING OF THE Maldives as a luxury destination has been a resounding success, with almost every major international luxury chain and independent hotel having representation there. The government’s proactive stance at promoting the destination and raking in the tourist dollar has been clear since the early 1970s, when the first two resorts opened up. But it’s only in the last three to four years that India has entered the top five feeder markets for the Maldives, thanks to increased connectivity and demand for luxury accommodation. In fact, numbers issued by the tourism ministry of the Maldives indicate that in 2019 India was the best-performing individual market, as arrivals recorded a year-on-year growth of 83.5 per cent, going up to