Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mohamed Asim has stated that ensuring the safety of the tourists are prioritised by the government of Maldives. The Maldivian Foreign Minister made the statement during the Second Meeting of the Joint Meeting Mechanism to Deal with the Issue of Safety of Chinese Tourists held at Sheraton Full Moon Resort.
During the meeting, Foreign Minister Dr. Mohamed Asim assured that the government of Maldives prioritises the safety of tourists arriving to Maldives. Foreign Minister Asim noted that China continues to be the main source of market for the Maldivian tourism industry and given the large percentage of tourists from China, special attention is necessary to exchange ideas to ensure a safe environment for Chinese tourists, during their stay in Maldives. Minister Asim affirmed that Maldivian Government is working closely with tourism industry stakeholders to ensure the safety and security of tourists arriving to Maldives. Many important measures are taken by the Government to identify potential threats concerning the safety and security of tourists and to effectively counter and mitigate these threats, highlighted Minister Asim.
Speaking at the meeting, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Lizhong thanked the Government and relevant authorities for the coordination and cooperation extended in ensuring a safe environment to the Chinese tourists in the Maldives. Ambassador Zhang Lizhong highlighted some difficulties faced by the Chinese tourists while in Maldives. The Ambassador further noted that such challenges can be solved by creating awareness mutually among the tourist and service providers. The fact that most number of tourist arrivals to Maldives are from China is proof of how popular Maldives is among Chinese tourists, added the Ambassador.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mohamed Asim and Ambassador of China to the Maldives, Zhang Lizhong co-chaired the Second Meeting of the Joint Meeting Mechanism to Deal with the Issue of Safety of Chinese Tourists. During the meeting, a consensus on wide distribution of kind reminders for Chinese nationals in the Maldives was announced. The new version of the kind reminders for Chinese nationals in the Maldives was jointly launched by Minister Asim and Ambassador Lizhong.
The Joint Meeting was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Embassy of China in the Maldives, Ministry of Tourism, Maldives Immigration, Maldives Police Service, National Disaster Management Centre, Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation, Maldives Airports Company Limited, Maldives Association of Tourism Industry, representatives from tourist resorts, guest houses, airlines, travel agencies and Chinese companies conducting projects in the Maldives.
The Meeting was held under the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Maldives and China during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Maldives in September 2014.