New Delhi: Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has urged Indian tourists to travel to Sri Lanka for their next foreign holiday amid diplomatic tensions between India and Maldives.
Indians accounted for the largest nationality travelling to Maldives between 2021 and 2023.
“My first advice to you would be, the next time you want to take a holiday, go to Sri Lanka. You know I am serious. Please go to Sri Lanka, I say this to all of you. Mix with the normal people in Sri Lanka and ask them what do you think about India? I can tell you, you will feel yourself grow with that answer,” Jaishankar said at the Indian Institute of Management, Mumbai, Tuesday.
Jaishankar explained that India was the “only country that came forward” when the rest of the world turned its back on Colombo, at the height of its economic crisis in 2022, with support even larger than the bailout package offered by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“We actually committed $4.5 billion to Sri Lanka. To give you a reference point, they (Sri Lanka) negotiated for a long time with the IMF… that IMF package was less than $3 billion,” he said.
In April 2022, Sri Lanka declared its first sovereign debt default due to a shortage of foreign exchange (forex) reserves. The shortage was triggered by an economic downturn, which saw inflation soar, a massive energy crisis and scarcity of essential commodities in the island nation.
The Sri Lankan envoy to India Milinda Moragoda had told ThePrint in June last year that India’s assistance helped secure the IMF bailout of $2.9 billion.
Jaishankar’s warm words on Sri Lanka come amid the diplomatic row between Maldives and India, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep earlier this month.
Three deputy ministers — now suspended — made disparaging remarks against Modi, after Indian social media users promoted tourism to Lakshadweep, following the Prime Minister’s visit.
Boosting tourism to Lakshadweep also found mention in the interim budget announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Thursday.
Fervour for ‘domestic tourism’
The comments made by the suspended deputy ministers of Maldives led to a social media ardour to promote Lakshadweep as a tourist destination — a sentiment recognised by Sitharaman during her sixth budget speech.
“To address the emerging fervour for domestic tourism, projects for port connectivity, tourism infrastructure, and amenities will be taken up on our islands, including Lakshadweep. This will help in generating employment also,” Sitharaman said in her budget speech.
The finance minister’s speech also brought into focus the Union government’s intention to support state governments in developing “iconic” tourist centres, including in areas of “branding and marketing” at a global scale.
“A framework for rating of the centres based on quality of facilities and services will be established. Long-term interest free loans will be provided to states for financing such development on (a) matching basis,” said Sitharaman.
Amid the diplomatic spat between Malé and New Delhi, the flow of tourists travelling to Maldives from India slowed, bringing the country to the number five position in the first 30 days of January, from number two in the same month last year.
According to data published by the Maldivian tourism ministry, a total of 14,619 Indian tourists travelled to the island archipelago between 1 and 30 January. In 2023, the full month saw a total of 18,612 Indian tourists travel to Maldives.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)