Ever since Sri Lankan government announced its victory over the country’s decades long civil war, I have seen articles in local news papers and blogs about how peace in Sri Lanka could affect tourism in the Maldives. While some argued it will create fierce competition for Maldives tourism sector, others made certain statements that Maldives tourism benefited from the civil unrest in Sri Lanka over the years.
First of all, I think it is simply boorish to imagine and talk about such a thing that will create hostility towards a neighboring nation. Second, peace and harmony is a blessing anywhere in the world so we should all appreciate it instead of showing resentment.
Maldives did not create the world renowned tourism we see today because of a war in Sri Lanka. It definitely did not give us the idea to build world class resorts and reach out to the first-class travelers worldwide. The civil war certainly did not encourage us to create or talk about cultural tourism and divert those who weren’t able to travel across Sri Lanka. Maldives is not a substitute for Sri Lanka or any other country for that matter. We have our own uniqueness part gifted by nature and part created by own hands.
Sri Lanka is a much bigger country with lots of potential and resources to create greater things. This change in Sri Lanka will attract more commercial activities, more investments, more air traffic and more tourists. Peace and harmony in Sri Lanka will only help Maldives to attract more tourists. Any positive impact in Sri Lankan economy or tourism will be an advantage and we should work towards bringing this special add-on to Maldives. Imagine a Sri Lanka with an economy as Singapore bringing the world just one hour closer to us. Imagine if we never had to travel all the way to Europe for marketing purposes because Sri Lanka has become the next hub for tourism transactions in this region.
For those who believe this change in Sri Lanka will create fierce competition to Maldives tourism, I like to dedicate them a song to help change their perspective. If we want to be successful we should change the way we think let alone the way we market our unique destination.
I tend to think that Maldives and Sri Lanka will work better as a “single” destination concept in reality and this will therefore benefit both countries dho.
hey Hil, thanks for the comment. I agree with you, but a long term strategy should focus on the advantages we could take from our positioning against Sri Lanka.
Totally agree with you and a great post. I too feel what we have here is unique and Sri Lanka is not a threat at all or a question. If things improve in Sri Lanka (and it will) it will only benefit Maldives. People come to “Maldives” cos it’s the “Maldives” not “hmmmm, lets choose a spot in Asia, Sri Lanka, India, or Maldives. Ok Maldives, there is a bloody war in Sri Lanka” .. It was never that! This will only increase once Sri Lankan markets open up for more tourists. People who fly down to Sri Lanka is very likely to stop over in Maldives before they conclude there Holidays. I think early 80′s we saw this happen too. Sri Lanka has the potential develop and we should all be happy about it; cos like you said it’s just one hours flight away. We benefit and would get to enjoy this development too in terms of business opportunities, education and health care. Maldives, being “Maldives” and with a population of less than 300,000 people we would not get the same opportunities as Sri Lanka would in many areas of development.
A great comment by :Amdy Asif at 3:47pm June 30
“Peace and harmony in Sri Lanka will only help Maldives to attract more tourists.” I like this sentence.
Agree to you and would say that we need to do more attractive style of work to attract more tourists. Like Maldives Cultural Tours, Ultimate Experiences, Combined Destination Tours, etc.
We may notice more regional tourist traffic, so this could be a best time to work together with Peace and Harmony.
Another superb comment by: Mohamed Athif at 11:29pm June 30
My friend. I totally agree to what you have said here! Maldives will have its uniqueness and its in our hands to sustain and market it. Peace and harmony in Sri Lanka is a huge plus to flourish our tourism sector. War and instability in Sri Lanka helps flourish tourism in Maldives? This is utter NONSENSE!!!
When people look at a glass filled to …some will say its half empty, while others will say its half full. So yes, we go to change our way of thinking!!! Naysayers better think twice!
Dear Nabeel,
I think for many times you spoke about this to me even before the this War began IN Sri Lanka. So my question is whats the best solution for those who talk about all these. Any alternatives. I suggest you to write something for them. To me I think you should advise thos who do not know how maldives have reached here, its definetely not cox we were funding for an endless war in Sri Lanka so we can Survive at the very top. But becox of its natural beauty and our own creation and peoples hard work. I guess I dont need to tell you as you have made it very clear to me. But keep writing and keep guessing as your guesses are very correct.
Cheers
… and in the not so distant future, when we all emigrate to that country, our tourism industries will merge marvelously! :p
This is what I am talking about… http://www.lankatimes.com/fullstory.php?id=27577