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05 May 2004
The Maldives Ministry of Tourism is discussing
with the Attorney Generals Office to provide
marriage ceremonies for tourists of other
religions other than Islam, reported Haveeru
Daily on 4 May 2004.
At present marriage ceremonies for non
Muslims are not provided by any authorities
in the Maldives. The constitution of the
country and other laws are silent on the
issue of non Muslim marriage ceremonies
taking place in the majority Sunni Muslim
Indian ocean republic.
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Maldives
popular among honeymooners |
In a news briefing to Haveeru Daily, Maldives
Tourism Minister Hassan Sobir suggested
that marriage ceremonies for tourists could
be arranged under a national regulation.
The bulk of the tourists who visit this
tropical destination are from Western Europe.
According to Haveeru the World Tourism
Organisation have campaigned to introduce
non Muslim marriage ceremonies in the Maldives
in the past. They have also submitted a
report to Maldivian government on allowing
weddings taking place in the country.
Kuoni, a major tour operator who campaigned
for 15 years to introduce marriage ceremonies
for tourists of other faiths, believes that
it will open a new market for Maldives tourism
product. At present Maldives is very popular
in Europe especially among honeymooners.
According to Kuoni, Sri Lanka is the most
popular wedding destination for tourists.
MaldiveIsle.com News Team
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