Tourism Min’s remarks on Maldives in his poor attempt to promote SL anger netizens

• Carelessly compares SL’s tourism product to that of Maldives at ITB press briefing
• Tries to promote SL by putting down Maldives, a success story in global tourism
• Criticism against minister’s remarks pours in across social media platforms

Sri Lanka came under the spotlight yet again for wrong reasons at the recently held ITB, the world’s leading travel and trade show held in Berlin, Germany, as the country’s Tourism Minister Harin Fernando’s remarks on the Maldives, in his attempt to promote Sri Lanka as a better tourist destination, left a bad taste.  
With his little to none marketing skills, Fernando made matters only worse for Sri Lanka, 

which had attracted negative media publicity, particularly due to the socioeconomic and political turmoil last year, by comparing Sri Lanka’s tourism product to that of the Maldives, claiming that the Maldives has only beaches to offer.

“Sri Lanka is no longer only the beach. I know lots of people go to the Maldives. The Maldives just has the beach; I am not criticising. But you stay there for five days and you get fed up with it. That’s it; you are in an island and caught up in one place. But Sri Lanka is not like that. What you want, you can get,” Fernando told a press briefing at ITB.

The poorly thought-out comments were not well-received by both the Maldivians and Sri Lankans alike. Many took to Twitter, to share their opinion on the unprofessional and careless statement made by a minister about a country that is well ahead in its tourism game and also a longstanding friend of Sri Lanka. “We value the visionary pioneers and the hard work of the people in the industry for staging #Maldives as the number one tourist destination. #Dive deep to appreciate the diversity and wonders of our nature,” said Ahmed Nashid, a prominent Maldivian businessman, who is also Morocco’s first Honorary Consul in the Maldives. “The tourists who come to Maldives come for peace, luxury, privacy and hospitality. If they wanted to climb a mountain, I’m sure they can do it at home. This is a tourism minister who doesn’t understand the tourists,” tweeted a Maldivian travel blogger. Expressing displeasure on Fernando’s comments was also another Maldivian citizen who said, “Instead of focusing on why tourists shouldn’t go to Maldives, focus more on why tourists should visit Sri Lanka. Apart from the white sandy beaches, crystal clear water & breathtaking underwater beauty, we also provide jobs for Sri Lankans, which you forgot to mention.” Muhammadh Musthafaa, another Maldivian, pointed out in his comments that the Maldives brand is a benchmark and a global product in global tourism.

“The only country that ran tourism during the pandemic, that boosted & increased investor confidence. Sri Lanka may be more diversified but still doesn’t have professionals & experts like Maldives do. Good luck Sri Lanka,” he tweeted. “Instead of building synergy between the two markets and strengthening market share through connectivity and investments, this sort of short-sighted backyard viewpoint hinders the development of South Asia,” commented a Twitter user. Social media users also called out to Fernando to first address the shortcomings in Sri Lanka tourism, before glorifying what it has to offer. “For starters, fix proper bathrooms at tourist sites, get rid of the Trishaw mafia, have honest tourist cops who speak English and compassion, and learn to advertise our country more effectively. Then we can start ‘boasting’,” said a user under the handle @AmirtaHapu. Despite being a small island nation, the Maldives has been highly successful in its tourism industry. The tourism sector in the Maldives began in the 1970s and has since become the country’s major contributor to its economy.

The tourism authorities of the Maldives have also won many accolades for successfully promoting the destination to international travellers and staying true to its brand promise. In 2022, the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation fetched for the island nation the World’s Leading Destination at the World Travel Awards, a title it has won for three consecutive years. The Maldives was also named as the biggest tourism success story in 2020 by CNN, as it welcomed 32 percent of its regular tourist arrivals as the world grappled with the worst pandemic witnessed in a century. In November 2020, the Maldives Tourist Board launched a fresh campaign with the tagline ‘Isolation Never Looked This Good’.