Maldives Promotion House – According to the tourism ministry UK tour operators have requested chartered flights to Maldives.

According to Travel Daily, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture for the Maldives government said he had visited tour operators earlier this week who are eager to launch charter flights and develop product on the islands.

“Tour operators have asked us to facilitate charters and we will formulate a policy that sets our tourism for the next five to 10 years,” Gafoor said. “We are still marketing the Maldives as a high-end brand with the ‘one island one resort’ model but we realise the eurozone crisis and want to keep this market, so we must offer affordable luxury”.

The government is now focused on developing a new strategy for tourism including three and four star properties, as well as builds on its other islands. Gafoor also insisted the government would not ban spas again after the backlash faced late last year. “Spa closures had a negative impact on tourism. Lots of tour operators and we will ensure these policies will never be implemented in the future,” he said.