Malé - Capital City of Maldives (Photo: Mihaaru)

Maldives, a South Asian island country is located in the Indian Ocean. It has the least population in Asia, 340,000 people, and covers an area of 298 square km. Islam is the official religion there. Maldives is known as an island paradise with more than 1,000 islets, including 26 coral reefs.

Maldives is identified by a fusion of various cultures as a result of the influx of migrants from all over the world, mostly from Sri Lanka’s coastal areas and South India. The country has the highest living condition in the region with income per capita reaching 12,000 USD. Tourism accounts for 20% of the GDP and 60% of foreign currency exchange of the island nation. Maldives received nearly 1.4 million foreign visitors last year and most visitors are from China and the UK.

However, the number of tourists has decreased sharply since Maldives President Abdulla Yameen announced the state of emergency on February 5. China, the US, India, and European countries have issued travel warnings to Maldives, whose government reassures that the country remains stable. In addition to political instability, Maldives tourism is threatened by climate change. Fearing islands will be submerged under sea water, Maldives government has built artificial islands for locals to live. But these artificial islands are not attractive to tourists as natural islands. As tourism earns huge revenue for the national economy, Maldives needs to ensure political stability if it wants to achieve the goal of 7 million visitors in the following years.