Chapter 1325: Bicycles, Cars and Planes

The Maldives, formerly known as the Maldives Islands, is a former British colony and the smallest country in Asia, with a land area of only 298 square kilometres, less than a quarter of Hong Kong.

The history of the Maldives is also very chaotic, but it gained full independence in 1965 and joined the United Nations in the same year. The country has a federal system, with an elected president as head of state.

In 1967, the British garrison left the Maldives for good, but the country remained a member of the British Commonwealth.

In 1968, a referendum was held to establish the Republic of Maldives, abolish the Sultanate, and establish Islam as the state religion.

In its previous incarnation, the Maldives was a world-famous tourist destination, thanks to its unique geographical advantages and tourism resources.

The Maldives archipelago in the Indian Ocean is about 600 kilometres south of India. Within the 90,000 square kilometres of sea area, there are 26 natural atolls and 1,192 coral islands, of which only about 200 are inhabited, with a total population of just under 180,000.

Such a small pond can't produce a big dragon, and it's hard for a young dragon to settle down.

But at least the Maldives had the foresight to use its national resources to build an airport, which was renamed Male International Airport on 11 November 1981.

Cathay Pacific naturally flies to the Maldives.

On this day, Xia Yu's private jet, Fengshen, landed at Male International Airport.

He was greeted by none other than the current President of the Maldives, Maumoon Gayoom.

There was no need for Xia Yu to inform Maumoon Gayoom of his trip, but since he had a purpose and the entry of a private jet into the Maldives was certainly a major event that would be reported, he simply let the Maldives know that he, Xia Yu, was coming.

As a tycoon with unparalleled influence in Southeast Asia, Xia Yu can make a small country like the Maldives stir up huge waves with just a single stamp of his foot.

Similarly, a little bit of something leaking from the fingertips is enough to feed the Maldives. You have to know that last year, the Maldives' annual gross domestic product was just a little over 50 million US dollars, and the per capita income was just a little over 200 US dollars!

That's pitifully little!

So when he heard that Xia Yu was coming, Maumoon Gayoom called a series of five meetings with the senior management, and gave the airport staff a thousand and one reminders to do a good job. He also deployed half of the Maldives's only 1,000 troops to maintain stability and ensure Xia Yu's safety.

It can be said that Xia Yu is the most distinguished guest the Maldives is about to receive!

Soon, the plane landed.

After the cabin door opened, Xia Yu walked out with Li Qian and Cindy, looking down and seeing the welcoming crowd below, including Maumoon Gayoom.

Xia Yu chuckled and whispered in Li Qian and Cindy's ears, 'That's Maumoon Gayoom down there, let's go down.'

After saying this, Xia Yu took the lead and walked down the stairs.

'Mr Xia, I am Maumoon Gayoom. On behalf of the Maldives, I welcome you!'

Maumoon Gayoom gave Xia Yu a very important greeting, and Xia Yu, of course, lost his composure and responded with a smile, 'Mr President, thank you for your welcome, I feel very honoured!'

'I feel the warmth of the Maldives, and I believe I will have a very enjoyable trip.'

Mumum Gayoom's smile on his face became more enthusiastic: 'It will, the Maldivian people will welcome you with the utmost respect.'

Then he greeted the two women who had walked down the stairs, Li Xi and Cindy: 'Welcome, two beautiful ladies.'

...

The lunch was a state banquet. For Mumum Gayoom, Xia Yu's status and influence were no different from that of a national leader, and it was impossible to attach enough importance to him.

The Maldives is an island country with abundant marine resources, so the main ingredients of the state banquet were all kinds of seafood, plus some local specialty agricultural products. Although it was far less luxurious than the Manchu Han Imperial Feast that Xia Yu had tasted when he was received on the mainland, it was still full of sincerity.

Enjoying a lunch rich in the characteristics of the Maldivian food culture and watching local Maldivian folk dances, this lunch was a great success.

After lunch, Xia Yu and the others were still full of energy. Instead of taking a nap, they planned to explore Male, the capital of the Maldives.

Maumoon Gayoom turned down all work and accompanied Xia Yu throughout the day, personally acting as a guide.

But Xia Yu certainly wasn't in the Maldives for fun.

After getting a general understanding of the current situation in the Maldives, he understood.

At that time, the Maldives' tourism industry had not yet taken off at all, and the densely populated coral islands had not yet been developed.

Considering the current situation in Southeast Asia, this was only natural.

After all, compared to developed countries in Europe and the United States, Southeast Asia is undoubtedly a backwater, and even if there are a few bright spots, they are only a minority.

And whether it is for European and American countries or Southeast Asian countries, the Maldives is very little known, and the only marine tourism resources it can offer are not comparable to those of Hawaii and other places.

Naturally, the rich will not come to the Maldives to travel.

Unlike in later generations, the Maldives' tourism industry can be said to be supported by the mainland, and anyone who has been to the Maldives knows that Chinese advertisements can be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys. The Maldives has been occupied by mainland advertisers!

And now, the tourism industry is just getting started. Even the construction of the most basic facilities, roads, hotels, transportation, daily necessities, etc., still have many shortcomings, and they are simply not enough to support the Maldives' leapfrog development.

Seeing this situation, Xia Yu was actually happy.

'Mr. President, the Maldives' biggest pillar industry is still fishing, isn't it?'

Xia Yu asked softly as he walked to the beach, stepped on the golden sand, and looked at the fishing boats on the blue sea.

Mumun Gayoom said honestly, "Yes, fishing still accounts for the largest proportion.'

He then added, "However, the growth rate of the tourism industry has already jumped to first place, and I believe it should surpass the contribution of the fishing industry in the near future.'

When he said this, Maumoon Gayoom deliberately looked at Xia Yu. He said this on purpose to Xia Yu.

Xia Yu glanced at him and pointed out the key point with a faint smile: 'It is possible, but I cannot tell how many years it will take. After all, the foundations of the Maldives are too weak.'

'There are many islands in Southeast Asia. As long as any country such as Malaysia, Indonesia, or the Philippines is willing to invest resources to develop the tourism industry, the Maldives will not be competitive.'

Mumun Gayoom's smile was a little forced, and after a moment of silence, he said, 'But at the moment, none of these countries have attached any importance to it. In Southeast Asia, only we in the Maldives have clearly defined the goal of developing tourism.'

Xia Yu walked slowly along the beach, still calm and composed: 'This is the only advantage you have in the Maldives.'

'But sometimes, the one who starts first doesn't necessarily reach the finish line first.'

'Because you only have a pair of sports shoes, while the others are riding bicycles, motorcycles, and cars.'

'And even...planes!'

Hearing this, Li Qian and Cindy, who were accompanying Xia Yu, couldn't help but laugh, but they held back because of Mumen Gayoom.