The number of tourists visiting the Maldives has not been affected by the recent ban on the entry of Israeli passport holders, Tourism and Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim said today.
Speaking at a press conference at the President's Office, Thoriq said he was not aware of any campaign calling for a boycott of the Maldives over the Israeli passport ban.
But he noted that some foreign media have reported that the Israeli passport ban could damage the Maldives' tourism industry, while some news outlets had praised the move by the government.
“We’re monitoring every day to see if there’s any kind of decline in tourist arrivals. We don’t see a major impact or fewer tourists visiting or anything like that yet,” Thoriq stated.
Thoriq said the reason for the ban on Israeli passports is being shared with various diplomatic missions in the Maldives and abroad, as well as the European Union.
The Immigration Act was amended on April 15 to prohibit Israeli passport holders from entering the country. The bill was proposed by opposition MP Meekail Naseem.
He proposed to ban the entry of Israeli passport holders and Israeli citizens with dual passports. But the bill was passed with major changes to allow Israeli citizens with dual passports to enter the Maldives.
