"Maldives Issue Helping Us": Sri Lankan Tourism Minister As Indian Travelers Look For Options Amid Diplomatic Rift

After Maldives reported a decline of over 40 per cent in Indian arrivals over the ongoing diplomatic rift, Sri Lanka's Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said that the island country benefitted from this.

"The Maldives issue is... helping us," Fernando said on Thursday (16 May) while speaking to CNBC. This comes after India, which topped the tourist market for the Maldives at the start of the year, dropped to sixth place.

Fernando emphasised strong ties between Sri Lanka and India and highlighted the diverse attractions, like beaches, casinos, shopping avenues and Ramayana Trail that Sri Lanka offers to tourists.

The Minister expects Indian travelers to become the world's fourth-largest spenders by 2030, giving a boost to Sri Lanka's tourism industry and consequently its economy.

He is also optimistic about attracting more global investments to Sri Lanka's tourism through concepts like Maldives' renowned water bungalow, adventure activities and musical events.

Earlier this month, Maldivian Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal requested Indians to "be a part of Maldives' tourism" citing the country's economic dependence after a call for boycott by Indians.

"Our people and the government will give a warm welcome to Indian arrivals. As the Tourism Minister, I want to tell Indians to please be a part of Maldives' tourism. Our economy depends on tourism," he said.

The request came in the backdrop of Maldives Tourism Ministry statistics, which show a total of 43,991 Indian tourists went to the archipelago nation till 4 May, signaling a decline from 73,785 Indian tourist arrivals between January and April last year.

This happened after a backlash over derogatory remarks against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media by three junior ministers of Maldives, who were later suspended.