Maldives tourist agency's campaign backfires after angry residents hi-jack Twitter hashtag
The Maldives tourist authority’s latest Twitter campaign has backfired after being hi-jacked by residents taking the opportunity to broadcast some of the problems facing the country.
On Thursday the Maldives tourist authority’s hashtag #SunnySideofLife trended globally, just not for the reasons the tourist authority had originally intended.
The campaign had aimed to promote the country as an island paradise, posting links to resorts and promoting the level of tourism that the country enjoys. Instead tweets about police brutality and political illegitimacy came flooding in.
When @myvisitmaldives tweeted: “Maldives has been awarded as the Most Romantic Destination in the World #SunnySideofLife” in contrast, @FarahDidi tweeted: “#Maldives not paradise for its people. Brutal coup regime suppressing our rights to freedom of expression & assembly. #SunnySideofLife”
Most of the tweets have been critical of the current government which replaced President Mohamed Nasheed, reportedly at gunpoint, in February. Instead pictures of idyllic beaches some users posted pictures of alleged victims of police brutality with the campaign’s hashtag attached.
Though the negative responses to the campaign are largely behind the global trend, they went unacknowledged when the Maldives tourism minister tweeted: “Thank u all the Resorts, Tour Operators, Tourists & all those who love Maldives who gave positive tweets for #SunnySideofLife making a trend.”