MALE – The government of Maldives is now trying to attract tourists from China, days after its row with India intensified over a few images of Indian premier Narendra Modi.
Maldivian president Mohamed Muizzu who is currently on a visit to China urged Beijing to intensify efforts to send more tourists to the archipelago amid a diplomatic row with India that could trigger a potential tourism boycott.
Though Mr Muizzu is on a five-day visit to China to look for investments, the visit is seen as a message to India, especially with the request for sending more tourists.
During his speech at the “Invest Maldives” forum, Mr Muizzu said China was a significant contributor to tourism during the pre-pandemic era and their strategies would involve campaigns, or policies aimed at wooing Chinese visitors.
“The government has plans to diversify the tourism product and offer new experiences. Initiatives include a top-tier school of hospitality and exploring sports, medical and cultural tourism,” Mr Muizzu said in the southern Chinese port city of Fuzhou.
“China was our number one market pre-Covid, and it is my request that we intensify efforts for China to regain this position,” Muizzu said and hailed the close political ties between the two countries.
The Maldivian president has also termed New Delhi’s huge influence a threat to sovereignty and had raised eyebrows with his first official visit to Turkey; previously Maldivian leaders embarked on India’s visit after assuming power.
At the heart of the controversy is the fact that three Maldivian government officials recently called names to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his visit to the Indian island Lakshadweep in the Indian Ocean.
Modi’s pictures from the beaches of the Lakshadweep went viral on social media and triggered a debate between Indian and Maldivian social media users as some saw them as an attempt to draw tourists away from the nearby Maldivian islands.
The severity of the matter could be gauged from the fact that the three officials were suspended and India reportedly summoned Male’s envoy to India but some Indians on social media shared screenshots of their canceled bookings of Maldivian and urged exploring the islands of India.
The visit and speech of the Maldivian president are important in this regard as the country has directly sought the assistance of China against India to sure its tourism sector and send a message to the Indian leader and to the citizens also.
