Foreign Office updates travel advice to Maldives in light of unrest
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has updated its advice to advise against all but essential travel to Male Island.
The move comes after political demonstrations in the capital Male, which have led to violent clashes between government and opposition supporters, and later the police and defence forces.
"The situation remains uncertain," said the Foreign Office. "If you are in Male, or choose to travel to Male, you should exercise caution, avoid demonstrations and beware of spontaneous gatherings."
Its advice does not include Male International Airport or travel from the airport to any part of the country other than Male Island.
But it urged travellers to exercise caution, keep up to date with developments and check with their tour operator or travel company for further information.
Long-haul tour operator Kuoni said it was closely monitoring any developments and was in close contact with its local management team.
It has cancelled all excursions to Male as a precaution but said customers transiting through the airport and staying on the island resorts are unaffected by the situation and holidays have been continuing as normal.
by Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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