Sri Lanka's Minister of Tourism and Lands, Harin Fernando, has apologized for his comments about the Maldives at the recent ITB Berlin fair.
Fernando tweeted on Monday that his comment was "taken out of context" and that it was "misrepresented on social media." He added that the two countries worked together in the tourism sector and apologized for any inconveniences caused.
My statement made in Berlin regarding the beautiful Maldive islands has been taken out of context and been misrepresented on social media. I wish to clarify that we work together with our neighbor on tourism and would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused
— Harin Fernando (@fernandoharin) March 13, 2023
Speaking at a panel discussion at the fair held between March 7 - 9, Fernando compared the Maldives and Sri Lanka as tourist destinations. He was speaking about the variety of experiences offered in Sri Lanka for tourists and said that there are a lot of options available in the country.
"The Maldives just has the beach—I'm not criticizing—but if you stay there for five days, you get fed up of it. That's it, you're just on an island, you're caught up in one place," the Minister could be heard saying in the video that circulated on social media.
Many took to social media to express their dissatisfaction with Fernando's remarks, including Sri Lankans.
Maldives' Minister of Tourism had also responded to the claim. He said that there is not much credence to the claim as there are several tourists who visit the Maldives repeatedly. He also stressed that he does not believe Fernando's remarks were intended to launch a negative campaign against the Maldives.
Sign In