Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif has been appointed the Global Brand Ambassador for the Maldives. The official handle of the Maldives National Tourist Board shared the update on Tuesday. In a post on X, Visit Maldives stated, “Visit Maldives Unveils Katrina Kaif as Global Brand Ambassador for the Sunny Side of Life.”

This marks an important step by the Maldives National Tourist Board to promote tourism. Last year, the row between New Delhi and Male erupted after three Maldivian deputy ministers made derogatory comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, over his pictures from the visit to Lakshadweep.

PM Modi had called for the Indian island cluster to be developed as a destination for beach tourism and the promotion of domestic tourism. The matter snowballed into a major diplomatic row, with New Delhi summoning the Maldivian envoy and registering a strong protest against the viral posts.

The three deputy ministers were suspended, and they remain under suspension with pay. Later, Maldives Tourism Ministry data showed that the number of Indian tourists visiting the Maldives has dropped by 33 per cent compared to last year. However, toeing a reconciliatory tone after a diplomatic row with India, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu requested debt relief measures from New Delhi while stating that India will continue to remain the country’s “closest ally.”

On the work front, Katrina Kaif was last seen in Sriram Raghavan’s Merry Christmas alongside Vijay Sethupathi. She has upcoming projects, including Farhan Akhtar’s Jee Le Zara, which also stars Alia Bhatt and Priyanka Chopra.