How a diplomatic spat has led to a dip in Indian tourists to the Maldives

Don’t ever underestimate the power of a hashtag. It seems that #BoycottMaldives, which was initiated by some Indians on X in early January, has actually come true. The Maldives with its beautiful blue waters, pristine white sand beaches, and lush greenery, which once used to be the preferred destination for Indians, has seen a notable drop in tourists from the neighbouring country in January. How effective has the #BoycottMaldives hashtag actually been? And more importantly, who’s to blame for this situation? Indian tourists give a miss to Maldives Before we delve into the numbers of how Indian tourists travelling to the Maldives has dropped, let’s understand who exactly travels to the tiny archipelago. The Maldivian economy is largely dependent on tourism. In fact, according to the World Bank, approximately one-third of the Maldivian economy is dependent on tourism. Of this tourism, in 2023, India was the top source country for tourists, with over two lakh people travelling to the neighbouring country. That’s a whopping 11 per cent of all people travelling to the Maldives last year. The other top five countries from where people travelled to the Maldives was Russia, China, the United Kingdom and Germany. However, in January this year, things have changed. According to data shared by the Maldivian tourism ministry, 13,989 tourists visited until 28 January, out of a total of 1,74,400 arrivals, dropping to the fifth spot with eight per cent tourist market share of the archipelago nation. The countries with the largest number of tourists to the archipelago in the first 28 days of January were Russia (18,561), Italy (18,111) and China (16,529). [caption id=“attachment_13667932” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Image Courtesy: www.tourism.gov.mv)[/caption] Comparatively in December 2023, Russia was at the first spot with 1,74,416 Russians arriving in Maldives and a 24.1 per cent market share. India was at second with 161,751 tourists and 23.4 per cent share. **Also read: Will a boycott by Indian tourists hurt the island nation?** Tour operators in the Maldives have also noticed this trend of the fall in Indian tourists to the island nation. Akhmeem Razzaq, founder and managing director of Maldives Getaways, a tourism company operating out of Maldives, was quoted as telling ThePrint that Indian tourists were declining over the past few months. “Indian tourists travel in two segments to the Maldives — luxury and local tourism. The high-paying luxury tourism sector has seen numbers remain stable, while the latter has seen a drop,” Razzaq told ThePrint. “We have not received cancellations in the recent past, but there has been a slowdown in new bookings.” And Razzaq’s statements are echoed by Indian tour operators too. Earlier, they too had noted that while existing bookings to the Maldives weren’t being cancelled, they had seen a drop in inquiries about the island nation. For some, the data also indicates another pattern. In fact, some geopolitical experts looking at the data have opined that this could be seen as a victory for Beijing’s diplomacy as the rise in Chinese tourists could be linked with the recent visit of President Muizzu . During his visit, Muizzu urged his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to send more tourists to Male. “China was our (Maldives’) number one market pre-COVID, and it is my request that we intensify efforts for China to regain this position,” he was quoted as saying then. [caption id=“attachment_13667962” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The Maldivian economy is largely dependent on tourism. In fact, India, in 2023, was the top source country for tourists, with over two lakh people travelling to the neighbouring country. File image/Reuters[/caption] The #BoycottMaldives controversy Most people attribute the drop in Indian tourists to the Maldives to the recent diplomatic spat that the two countries had. It all began when Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Lakshadweep in the first week of January and praised the natural beauty of the land. However, the PM’s visit sparked an anger among some Maldivian officials, who perceived Modi’s promotion of Lakshadweep as an attempt to divert attention from the Maldives.

Recently, I had the opportunity to be among the people of Lakshadweep. I am still in awe of the stunning beauty of its islands and the incredible warmth of its people. I had the opportunity to interact with people in Agatti, Bangaram and Kavaratti. I thank the people of the… pic.twitter.com/tYW5Cvgi8N

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 4, 2024

Mariyam Shiuana, a deputy minister in the Maldivian Cabinet, even called Modi a “puppet of Israel” and a “clown” on X. Her two other colleagues too joined in, posting derogatory comments about the prime minister and Indians. While the posts were deleted and the three officials were suspended, it seemed the damage had been done. The comments angered Indians and they called for a boycott of the Maldives. Many celebrities, for whom the Maldives has been a preferred holiday destination, also jumped on to the bandwagon, urging people to explore India’s own. Actor Amitabh Bachchan promoted travel to Lakshadweep in a post on X, while Akshay Kumar also batted for the same. [caption id=“attachment_13667952” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A Progressive Party of Maldives worker poses with an “India Out” flag in Male, Maldives. The ties between India and the Maldives have slipped in recent times. File image/Reuters[/caption] The boycott was further fuelled when EaseMyTrip, one of the country’s leading online travel platforms, declared it wouldn’t be accepting any bookings for the Maldives. However, since then, they have changed their stance, accepting bookings. For many, the boycott, which was the result of the Maldivian officials’ comments was reflective of the deteriorating ties between India and the Maldives. Maldives’ new president, Mohamed Muizzu, who was elected in September last year, is known to have a more pro-China bend. In fact, he ran on an anti-India campaign, and also asked India to withdraw its troops from the country, where New Delhi has provided equipment like radar stations and surveillance aircraft, and deployed about 70 personnel to maintain them. **Also read: How President Mohamed Muizzu’s politics may hurt the island nation beyond tourism** Looking beyond the Maldives While most concur that it is primarily the boycott of the island nation that has led to India’s dipping tourists, some believe that there’s another factor at play. Some tour operators in the Maldives have said that the drop in Indian numbers come as other global markets have opened up for Indian travellers. Consider this: In recent times, several countries such as K enya, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka are granting visa-free travel to Indians. There are still others who are making travel easier and more accessible for Indians. In light of this, there could be a possibility that Indian tourists choose other destinations rather than the Maldives. With inputs from agencies