The new government in the Maldives is trying to reassure tourists the islands are still open for business despite current political unrest.Credit: AP
Unrest has continued in the Indian Ocean islands after the president was ousted last month, writes Oliver Smith.
The new government of the Maldives has sought to reassure holidaymakers that the islands remain open for business, despite continuing protests over the ousting of the former president Mohamed Nasheed last month in an alleged coup.
In London this week, Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor, the new minister for tourism, said the situation in the country was stable - even in the capital Male, where demonstrations continue.
Last week the Foreign Office removed its warning against all but essential travel to Male, although its website said further demonstrations were "likely" and advised travellers to avoid large gatherings.
Most resorts in the Maldives are located on isolated, otherwise uninhabited islands, and it is generally accepted that holidaymakers are unlikely to be caught up in any unrest, but the moral implications of visiting the Maldives have been called into question following the downfall of Mr Nasheed.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have accused the new government of ordering police to use violence to suppress demonstrations. It has also been suggested that the overthrow of Mr Nasheed, the islands' first democratically elected leader, was orchestrated by the same politicians and businessmen who held sway under the autocratic 30-year rule of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who was voted out in 2008. Several ministers who were in power under Gayoom have been appointed to senior posts in the new government.
Outside the hotel where the tourism minister was speaking, protesters handed out leaflets, claiming that democracy was being undermined by the new government.
Mr Gafoor said: "We take these claims [of police brutality] very seriously and have opened it up for investigation - it is too soon to jump to conclusions. The fact that there are leaflets being handed to you outside shows how open we are."
He also criticised calls for travellers to avoid a number of the islands' holiday resorts, whose owners, it is claimed, played a role in the downfall of Mr Nasheed. The minister said such calls were undermining islanders' livelihoods.
Last month Friends of Maldives, a pro-democracy group based in London, urged holidaymakers to avoid selected resorts whose owners it claims backed the coup.
On its website (maldivestraveladvisory.com) it currently lists 11 resorts and businesses. David Hardingham, the group's founder, said more may be added. He said the purpose of the campaign was not to undermine the country's economy, but to prevent holidaymakers from contributing to human rights abuses. He said that the businesses listed in the advisory represented just a small fraction of those available to visitors.
Mr Gafoor said he "would not recognise" the Friends of Maldives' campaign and played down the impact that recent negative publicity would have on visitor numbers. He said that a record one million holidaymakers were expected to visit the Maldives this year, including some 100,000 Britons. He said there were plans to increase tourism by opening up the Maldives to new markets in China, and developing eco and community-based tourism.
The minister also sought to reassure visitors that the islands' spas - briefly threatened with closure under President Nasheed, following pressure from Islamist groups - would remain open, and said there were no plans to restrict the sale of alcohol in resorts.
- The Telegraph, London
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