The local tourism industry has not been affected so far by the current political turmoil, Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb has said.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday (March 11), Adeeb said the current situation was not a crisis compared to a difficult period in early 2012 in the wake of former President Mohamed Nasheed’s resignation.

“What we went through then was a crisis with the pressure, problems, booking cancellations, and especially I believe the travel alerts issued then were alarming,” Adeeb said.

The government was not facing similar challenges at present, Adeeb said, adding that there have been no significant booking cancellations.

Arrivals data from February – during which the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party-Jumhooree Party alliance launched nightly protests and former Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim and former President Nasheed were arrested – have yet to be released by the tourism ministry.

Statistics from January meanwhile showed a 7.8 percent decline in arrivals on the back of a continuing decline in arrivals from China.