New Delhi: Amid a diplomatic row, the tourism ministries of Maldives and India are set to sign an agreement to diversify cooperation in the tourism sector.
Male’s Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal arrived in India this week for a three-day visit in a bid to attract more Indian tourists to the archipelago nation. He met Indian Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Tuesday where the two held a “positive” meeting.
“We had a very positive meeting with the [Indian] Tourism Minister. He highlighted the importance of having good relationships with neighbouring countries. India has always been our first ally in times of need,” Ibrahim Shiuree, Managing Director of government-backed Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) in Maldives, told ThePrint.
Shiuree, who was accompanied by officials from the Maldivian Tourism Board, was present at Tuesday’s meeting.
“We discussed places where we can diversify the tourism cooperation — education, film and sports tourism. There are many ways we would like to explore the Indian market. He [Minister Shekhawat] said, we’ll be looking towards an MoU,” he added.
Under film tourism, Male is hoping to attract the Indian film industry and Bollywood celebrities to conduct their shoots in the Maldives.
Ibrahim Faisal also met India’s Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu in Delhi.
The Maldivian economy, which relies on tourism, saw a drop in Indian tourists in January after a diplomatic row erupted between New Delhi and Male. Ministers in President Mohamed Muizzu’s government had made disparaging remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lakshadweep visit at the time. They were later suspended.
However, this sparked an uproar among Indians on social media with many calling for a boycott of the archipelago country, which has been a favoured holiday destination among Indians.
The Maldivian tourism minister’s ongoing visit to India seeks to promote the “Welcome India” initiative, aimed at reinforcing the Maldives’ status as a prime holiday destination for Indian travellers. Faisal will hold “tourism roadshows” in Mumbai and Bengaluru next. However, he was not present at the event in Delhi Tuesday night.
In 2023, Indians were the largest group of travellers to Maldives with over 2 lakh flocking to the island country that year. China was in second place that year with 1.5 lakh tourists visiting the nation.
However, in January, after the diplomatic spat between India and Maldives broke out, Chinese tourists emerged as the larger group, overtaking India. By the end of January, Indians dropped to fifth position. This trend has overall remained thus far.