Two Sunny Destinations, One Shared Future: Sanya and the Maldives Advance Tourism Cooperation
MALÉ, MALDIVES, October 28, 2026 — Sanya and the Maldives are stepping up tourism cooperation, with both destinations agreeing on three key areas of collaboration for 2027 following a meeting between a Sanya delegation and Visit Maldives in Malé on October 26.
The delegation met with Abdulla Yasir, CEO and Managing Director of Visit Maldives, to discuss destination marketing, collaborative platforms and visitor exchange. The meeting marked a new step toward more structured and long-term cooperation between the two tropical destinations.
Three Priorities for Cooperation in 2027
The two sides outlined three areas for future collaboration. First, Sanya will invite Visit Maldives to participate in a coastal tourism destination exchange event to be held in Sanya in 2027, as well as the 2027 Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Annual Summit.
Second, Visit Maldives has been invited to join the Coastal Tourism Destination Alliance being initiated by Sanya as a key partner. The alliance aims to facilitate international cooperation among coastal leisure destinations, including the sharing of development experience and collaboration on industry standards.
Third, the two sides will work toward signing a memorandum of understanding to advance content co-creation, mutual invitations to tourism events and joint marketing initiatives.
Building on Years of Engagement
The latest meeting builds on several years of growing engagement. In September 2024, representatives of the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation, Visit Maldives’ predecessor, attended a tropical coastal cities exchange event in Sanya. The organization’s leadership returned to Sanya in November 2025 for a similar event and visited local tourism attractions. In August 2026, Sanya’s municipal leadership also met with a delegation led by the Maldivian Minister of Economic Development, Transport and Trade.
Complementary Destinations, Shared Opportunities
The Maldives aims to welcome three million visitors in 2027 under its “Visit Maldives 2027” vision. China travelers remain an important source market, with 329,100 visitors from China in 2025, accounting for 14.7% of total arrivals. The market continued to grow by 12.6% year on year from January to August 2026.
Meanwhile, Sanya welcomed approximately 46% more inbound visitors in the first nine months of 2026, while total spending by inbound visitors increased by around 67%.
With the Maldives renowned for its one-island-one-resort experience and Sanya offering a diverse mix of coastal resorts, cultural attractions and leisure activities, the two destinations see opportunities to exchange expertise and strengthen tourism links.
From Sanya’s coastline to the atolls of the Maldives, the partnership looks toward a shared future built on destination marketing, industry collaboration and greater opportunities for travelers to discover both destinations.