As India imposes visa restriction on Bangladeshi tourists since July, 2024, the number of Bangladeshi tourists in the Maldives is likely to post over 50 per cent in 2024 compared to the number of Bangladeshi tourists in 2023, sources in Dhaka, Delhi and Male said

A total of 21,834 Bangladeshis visited the Maldives in 2023 and 26,534  Bangladeshis visited the Maldives during the January –October period of the current  calendar year. According to sources, Bangladeshi tourists will visit the Maldives during months of November and December in good number, said a member of Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh  (TOAB).

The number of Bangladeshi tourists during the month of October 3,347 in 2023 and the number of Bangladeshi tourists recorded at 3451 during the month of October 2024.  In 2023, a total of 209,108 South Asian tourists visited the Maldives and out of that the number of Bangladeshis was recorded at 21,834.

During the January–October period a total of 150,289 South Asian tourists visited the Maldives—out of that—the number of Bangladeshis was 26,534.  The present statistics show that the number of Bangladeshi tourists is likely to post a 50 per cent jump in 2024 to the Maldives.

As the Maldives is an expensive tourist destination, well-off Bangladeshi tourists usually visit the South Asian country.  

Since the ouster of dictator Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina  on August 5, 2024 through students-led mass uprising, the Indian government has restricted issuing visas to Bangladesh tourist on political and security grounds, sources said.

As tension between Dhaka and Delhi prevails as the leaders of Indian political parties, a good number of members of Indian civil and some sections of the India media are launching negative campaign against Bangladesh, the High Commission of India will continue visa restrictions on Bangladeshis, sources in Dhaka, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi.         

Meanwhile, Bangladesh exported goods worth 2369734.36 to the Maldives during the July-November period  of 2024-25 fiscal year .Bangladesh exported goods worth 6118898.43 to the Maldives during the July-June  period  of 2023-23 fiscal year …..

Bangladesh can pursue the Maldives model in becoming the success in the travel and tourism sector, said a member of Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB)

The Indian visa restriction to Bangladeshi tourists gives a slight boost to Maldives tourism as the statistics show that well-off Bangladeshis have started visiting the South Asian country in increasing numbers, sources in Male and Dhaka said.

Meanwhile, Dhaka has urged the Maldives to recruit nurses from Bangladesh. The urge was made when Maldives high commissioner to Bangladesh Shiuneen Rasheed called on foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin at the foreign ministry here.

Meanwhile, Dhaka has urged the Maldives to recruit nurses from Bangladesh. The urge was

During the meeting, both sides emphasized that the two countries can further strengthen cooperation in the health, fisheries and tourism sectors.

 The Foreign Secretary expressed hope that the two countries will explore untapped potentials for stronger trade ties and will pursue multi-sectoral cooperation.

The High Commissioner congratulated the Foreign Secretary on assuming his new responsibilities. She also conveyed good wishes from the Foreign Secretary of the Government of Maldives.

The Foreign Secretary welcomed the High Commissioner to Bangladesh and congratulated on her appointment. He also assured her of all cooperation.

He mentioned that Bangladesh attaches high importance to her relations with the Maldives. He thanked the Government of Maldives for ensuring employment of Bangladeshi workforce in Maldives.

The High Commissioner highlighted Bangladesh as an important regional partner and appreciated the contributions of Bangladeshi migrant workers as instrumental to the development process in the Maldives.

She also informed that the Government of Maldives will soon commence the regularization process for the undocumented Bangladeshi expatriates living in the Maldives. The Foreign Secretary informed that the government of Bangladesh attaches high importance to SAARC.

Both sides emphasized to work closely at SAARC and other regional and multilateral fora.

The High Commissioner thanked the government of Bangladesh for hosting a good number of Maldivian students particularly in medical education.

………..

Sources said some 100,000 Bangladeshis are working in different sectors of the Maldives, making the Bangladesh community the top group in the South Asian country.

Meanwhile, the Maldives, the only labour migration destination for Bangladeshi workers in South Asia, has suspended the recruitment of low-skilled workers from Bangladesh.

This comes amid allegations of illegal recruitment practices involving fake documents submitted by some Maldivian companies in collaboration with Bangladeshi middlemen and agencies.

Fathimath Rifaath, spokesperson for the Maldivian home ministry, confirmed the suspension, which began a month ago. Sun Online, a Maldivian news outlet, reported that the move stemmed from the discovery of companies recruiting workers with forged documents.

An investigation is currently underway.

The Bangladesh High Commission in the Maldives, however, offers a different explanation. They claim the suspension is due to a fulfilled quota for Bangladeshi workers, coupled with concerns about overstaffing in some Maldivian companies.

Illegal immigration has been a persistent challenge for the Maldives. To address this, its home ministry launched a special operation named "Kurangi" that has collected biometric data from more than 700 migrants.

This is not the first time the Maldives has restricted Bangladeshi worker recruitment. A prior administration imposed a ban in September 2019, which was lifted by the current government in December 2023.

Md Sohel Parvez, first secretary (Labour Welfare) at the Bangladesh High Commission in the Maldives, told TBS that the previous Maldivian government restricted the number of foreign workers to 100,000.

The new government, upon assuming office, lifted this restriction to address labour shortages but has now halted new hires as the quota has been met.

Responding to allegations of fake documents and labour market closure, he said that some companies recruited workers under false pretences of job availability, then released them without jobs, potentially for extortion purposes.

A Bangladeshi syndicate was implicated, and Maldivian authorities are investigating involved companies, he added.

"These people came with proper visas, but they didn't get jobs," Parvez said, raising questions about the Maldivian authorities' visa verification process. He further mentioned a trend of Bangladeshi workers fleeing their employers, and becoming undocumented in the process.

However, Parvez remains optimistic that the new Maldivian government might abolish the quota system, potentially leading to the lifting of the suspension.

In December, Maldivian Home Minister Ali Ihusan said that there are 139,220 active work permits for Bangladeshi labourers, but only 39,004 of them are consistently paying the required fees.

As of December, the number of Bangladeshi labourers in the Maldives was 90,642, below the cap of 100,000 set by the Employment Act for a single-source market

"Some Bangladeshis have left for other countries, contributing to the challenge of tracking all workers with active permits, with many still living undocumented," Md Omar Faruk Khondaker, a Bangladeshi journalist based in Male told TBS recently over the phone.

He also pointed out that the "free visa" system is being exploited to bring in more workers, with syndicates operating both among employers and Bangladeshi agencies and middlemen to profit from hiring unnecessary workers.

The Maldives economy relies heavily on tourism, with 1.8 million foreign visitors last year, the second-highest in South Asia. Bangladeshi workers mainly work in tourism and hospitality, such as hotel staff, restaurant waiters, and chefs. Some professionals like doctors also work there.

Recently, workers going to the Maldives had to pay around Tk3-4 lakh in migration costs. However, those employed legally in hotels and restaurants can earn up to Tk50,000 monthly.

Belal Hossain, from Habiganj, shared his experience, saying, "I started as a guest receiver six years ago with $200. Now I earn $500 to $600 per month as a waiter."

Bangladeshi workers sent $31.69 million in the current fiscal year (from July to April) as remittance.

According to a study by the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) last year, only 53% of Bangladeshi migrant workers in Maldives receive the promised wage, with an average monthly income of Tk35,147.

The study also found that documented Bangladeshi workers in Maldives earn an average monthly income of Tk37,066, while undocumented ones earn Tk25,650.

The study further revealed that 33% of Bangladeshis in Maldives work in hotels and resorts, 25% in construction, 7% as day labourers, 2% each as domestic workers and in the fisheries sector, with the remaining 31% employed in various other sectors.

During the meeting, both sides emphasized that the two countries can further strengthen cooperation in the health, fisheries and tourism sectors.

The Foreign Secretary expressed hope that the two countries will explore untapped potentials for stronger trade ties and will pursue multi-sectoral cooperation.

The High Commissioner congratulated the Foreign Secretary on assuming his new responsibilities. She also conveyed good wishes from the Foreign Secretary of the Government of Maldives.

The Foreign Secretary welcomed the High Commissioner to Bangladesh and congratulated on her appointment. He also assured her of all cooperation.

He mentioned that Bangladesh attaches high importance to her relations with the Maldives. He thanked the Government of Maldives for ensuring employment of Bangladeshi workforce in Maldives.

The High Commissioner highlighted Bangladesh as an important regional partner and appreciated the contributions of Bangladeshi migrant workers as instrumental to the development process in the Maldives.

She also informed that the Government of Maldives will soon commence the regularization process for the undocumented Bangladeshi expatriates living in the Maldives. The Foreign Secretary informed that the government of Bangladesh attaches high importance to SAARC.

Both sides emphasized to work closely at SAARC and other regional and multilateral fora.

The High Commissioner thanked the government of Bangladesh for hosting a good number of Maldivian students particularly in medical education.

Meanwhile, President Mohammed Shahabuddin in September received credentials of new Maldivian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Shiuneen Rasheed at a ceremony at the Bangabhaban here.

Welcoming the new High Commissioner of Maldives in Bangladesh, the President said Bangladesh’s bilateral ties with Maldives is very excellent and it would be further strengthened in future, President's Press Secretary Md Joynal Abedin said after the meeting.

This existing relation between the two countries will be strengthened and the scope of trade will also increase in future, the President hoped.

President Shahabuddin thanked the government of Maldives for employing many Bangladeshis in its labour market, saying Bangladeshi manpower is playing a significant role in the development of the both countries.

Shahbuddin also expressed satisfaction over choosing Bangladesh by the students of Maldives for their medical and engineering studies.

The bilateral ties between the people of Bangladesh and the Maldives will be further strengthened while the scope of trade and business will be enhanced in future, the President hoped.

President Shahbuddin urged the Maldivian high commissioner to encourage the businessmen of her country for enhancing their import of garments items, medicines, leather, jute and jute-made materials, agricultural products and ceramics and other Bangladeshi products.

Noting that Bangladesh and Maldives support each other in different regional and international forums, including the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the President hoped that this cooperation and support would be strengthened further in coming days.

The High Commissioner of Maldives said her country attaches great importance to the development of relations with Bangladesh and during her tenure in Bangladesh she would try to strengthen the ties.

Highlighting the contribution of Bangladeshi people to the development of the Maldives, the high commissioner sought President’s all necessary cooperation in doing her assignment in Dhaka.

Earlier, on her arrival at Bangabhaban, a smartly turned-out contingent of the horse-mounted President Guard Regiment (PGR) gave the envoy ‘guard of honour’.

President's Office Senior Secretary Nasimul Ghani, Military Secretary Major General Mohammad Adil Chowdhury, Press Secretary Md Joynal Abedin and concerned officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) were present.