A water villa set up at the Medhufushi Island Resort in the Maldives, which offers ‘living on the ocean’ experience to tourists.
As West Asia simmers, bringing the tourism sector to its knees across several South Asian countries, strong competitors of Kerala tourism in South Asia are adopting innovative strategies to mitigate the impact of the conflict, including attracting tourists from emerging markets beyond their traditional base and redefining the tourist experience.
Maldives tourism, billed as one of the major competitors of Kerala tourism along with Colombo in Sri Lanka as both destinations offer similar beach and resort experiences, now provides a more premium tourist experience compared to Kerala. It is also eyeing India and other emerging markets in South Asia, beyond its traditional European base, to offset the negative impact of the West Asian conflict, which has taken a toll on tourist arrivals in the Maldives as well as other Asian countries.
Published – May 03, 2026 07:01 pm IST