The President of the Maldives, Mohamed Moizu, has announced that the government will be implementing an entry ban on holders of Israeli passports. This decision was made by the Minister of Internal Security and Technologies, Ali Ihsan, who made the announcement at a press conference held at the presidential headquarters. The Maldivian government is amending its laws to enforce this ban.
In addition to this move, President Moizu has appointed a special envoy for Palestinian issues and initiated a fundraising campaign through UNRA called “Maldives in solidarity with Palestine.” The Maldives is a Sunni Muslim island nation located south of India and known for its popular diving and surfing destinations. It consists of 185 islands with a population of about 550 thousand people.
While there are no direct flights from Israel to the Maldives, passengers often take connecting flights through countries like Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and some European countries using airlines like Fly Dubai, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Etihad, Austrian Airlines, Gulf Air, and Wizz Air. Despite experiencing growth in tourism in 2022 with a growth rate of 13.9%, the Maldives faced an economic deficit of 16.5% of GDP due to extensive oil imports. However, the country’s tourism industry is projected to see an increase in the total number of tourists visiting in 2023.
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