Drawing a line in the sand

A new luxury resort in the Maldives is setting new standards in bespoke luxury. It will be a while before India matches up

- VIR SANGHVI

So, India and the Maldives are making up. The Foreign Minister went to Malé, the Maldivian capital, last week on an official visit. And the President of the Maldives attended the swearing-in of the Indian cabinet a few months ago. It's a welcome return to normal.

Unfortunately, the chill in relations has had some impact in the one area that most of us associate with the Maldives: Tourism. Without foreign tourists, the country's economy would collapse.

One angry Indian response to the provocative remarks from the island's politicians was to predict that if Indians stopped going to the Maldives their tourism sector would collapse. And we Indians could go to our own Lakshadweep.

Ah, if things were only that simple! For a start, Lakshadweep does not have Maldives-style resorts. It will take several years for new hotels to be built and for infrastructure to be developed before Lakshadweep emerges as a challenger to the Maldives. And frankly, our record at developing resort destinations is hardly exemplary: Goa is a mess and the Andamans, long touted as The Next Big Thing, have still to realise their potential.

Nor is it clear how much the lack of Indian budget tourists would hurt the Maldives in the medium term: A rush of Chinese tourists could easily fill the vacuum. But, in the short run, it might hurt some Maldivian resorts, which is why the Maldives government is making statements inviting Indian tourists to visit the islands. The sensible thing to do, both governments suggest, is to keep tourism out of temporary political conflicts.