Firaq: Ethiopia route opens new opportunities to diversify Maldivian tourism

The recent air services agreement signed between Maldives and Ethiopia creates new opportunities to diversify the source markets for tourist arrivals to the Indian Ocean island destination, says Mohamed Firaq, founder and CEO of Inner Maldives Holidays, one of the leading travel operators in the Maldives.

On Tuesday, Maldives and Ethiopia inked a Bilateral Air Services Agreement (ASA) together with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on air services. The agreements were signed by Maldivian Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Mohamed Ameen and Ethiopia’s Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority, Yohannes Abera Belete.

Firaq sees this as an important strategic shift in the country’s tourism and civil aviation sector.

He believes the Ethiopian route presents an exciting alternative air connection for the Maldives, similar to the connectivity offered through Turkey.

“I believe a direct service between Ethiopia and the Maldives would create new opportunities for our tourism industry. Expanding air access to different regions is essential to diversify our visitor markets and achieve sustainable tourism growth,” he wrote on Facebook.

Firaq believes that improved connectivity with Africa and other regions would help attract new source markets, while reducing the country’s dependence on traditional markets.

“This would be a positive step toward strengthening the resilience and long-term growth of Maldivian tourism,” he wrote.

Firaq hopes to see airlines launching services on the Ethiopia route soon, further strengthening connectivity between Ethiopia and the Maldives for the benefit of tourism, trade, and business.

Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is one of Africa’s biggest aviation hubs, making it a key bridge to securing new source markets from Africa and beyond.

The agreements come amid a decline in tourist arrivals due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.