In the aftermath of the diplomatic tensions between India and the Maldives, tourism bodies in the archipelago nation are grappling with a backlash and are actively seeking a reconciliation of relations with New Delhi. This initiative is driven by the urgent need to prevent a potential adverse impact on the Maldives' tourism sector, which is regarded as its lifeblood.
On Tuesday, the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) and the Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) made efforts to mend relations with Indians. This move coincided with President Mohamed Muizzu's appeal to China, made during his visit to the country, urging intensified efforts to attract more tourists to the Maldives. This appeal comes in the wake of a series of reservation cancellations by Indian tourists following a diplomatic dispute sparked by derogatory remarks made by Maldivian ministers against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
MATI’s condemnation of and MATATO’s apology for the remarks came two days after a full-blown backlash directed at the Maldives following the derogatory remarks against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media by three deputy ministers at the Maldives Youth Ministry after Modi posted photos and video on X after he visited the pristine Lakshadweep Islands on India’s west coast on Saturday.
On the second day of his five-day state visit to China, Muizzu in his address to the Maldives Business Forum in Fujian Province on Tuesday termed China as the island nation's closest ally. China remains one of our closest allies and development partners, he said. He praised the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2014, saying that they delivered the most significant infrastructure projects witnessed in Maldivian history, according to his speech.
He urged China to bolster the flow of its tourists to the Maldives. China was our (Maldives') number one market pre-Covid, and it is my request that we intensify efforts for China to regain this position, according to a readout posted on his official website.