President: Vision is to increase Chinese tourist arrivals to 2 million

President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has said that his vision is to increase the number of Chinese citizens traveling to the Maldives to at least 2 million in the years ahead.

President Yameen made the statement in an exclusive interview to the Xinhua news agency on Friday, during his current visit to China to attend the 2nd Youth Olympics Games at Nanjing, China.

President said in the interview that he is confident Maldives will continue to be a favored destination among Chinese holidaymakers if the air transport connectivity between the two countries can be improved, and if further efforts are made to market Maldives in Chinese cities.

“My vision is to increase the number of Chinese travelers to the Maldives to at least 2 million in the years ahead," said President Yameen, speaking to Xinhua news agency.

In global diplomacy, the President said that Maldives and China share common core values on peace and bilateral cooperation.

"Our positions at the UN and other key multilateral forums highlight the close cooperation between our two countries," the President said.

Xinhua states that additional agreements promoting relations between the two countries will be inked during President Yameen's current visit to China.