A delegation led by the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation has begun an official visit to China as part of efforts to strengthen the Maldives' presence in one of its largest tourism source markets and support continued growth in visitor arrivals.

The official visit, which runs from July 1 to July 11, includes representatives from the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Visit Maldives Corporation (VMC), Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), the national airline Maldivian, and leading tourism industry associations. The delegation is scheduled to visit Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu during the trip.

The delegation is headed by the State Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Mr Haris Mohamed. Visit Maldives Corporation is represented by its Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Mr Ibrahim Shiuree.

The ministry said the visit is part of the Government's efforts to strengthen ties with key tourism markets, improve connectivity to the Maldives, and support sustainable growth in the tourism sector despite challenges facing the global travel industry.

During the visit, the delegation is scheduled to meet with Chinese Government officials, airlines, tour operators, travel agents, and travel technology companies. Networking events will also be held in the three cities to promote the Maldives as a destination and strengthen partnerships with the Chinese travel trade.

Statistics released by the ministry show that more than 168,677 tourists from China have visited the Maldives so far this year, representing a 19.8 pe rcent increase compared with the same period last year. China currently remains the Maldives' largest tourism source market.