With drop in tourist numbers, Maldives sends tourism minister Ibrahim Faisal to India to promote 'Welcome India' initiative

Maldives Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal is likely to reach India today on a six-day trip to promote a series of tourism roadshows under the “Welcome India” initiative.

The campaign aims to reinforce the Maldives’ status as a prime holiday destination for Indian travellers through a series of events in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru from 30 July to 3 August, according to The Print.

Indian tourists to the Maldives dipped by 42% in the first four months of this year in comparison to the same period in 2023. However, earlier last year, the scenario was quite different. Indian tourists were the highest foreign visitors to the Maldives in 2023, and China was in third place.

However, these numbers have dwindled over the past six months and China has since overtaken India to become the largest tourism market for the Maldives.

According to an India Today report, citing data, the Maldives received 73,785 tourists from India between January and April 2023. On the other hand, the island nation recorded 42,638 tourist arrivals in the same period this year — a decline of 31,147 tourists in absolute terms.

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Statistics show 15,006 Indians visited the island nation in January 2024. In February, 11,252 Indian tourists visited the island nation, as compared to 24,632 tourists the same month last year.

After assuming office, President Mohamed Muizzu continued the ‘anti-India’ rhetoric from his campaign, which centered on the ‘India Out’ movement and the removal of Indian troops from the Maldives. He also broke with tradition by visiting China instead of making his first official visit to India.

In December 2023, the Maldives announced it would not renew its Hydrographic Survey agreement with India.

Tensions between New Delhi and Male escalated when three Maldivian deputy ministers made derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi in response to his photos from a visit to Lakshadweep.

The ministers were later suspended. Their comments, however, sparked an uproar among Indians on social media. Many people declared that they were boycotting Maldives as a holiday destination, with some even claiming to have cancelled their scheduled trips to the archipelago nation.

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Earlier in May this year, the island nation’s tourism minister urged Indians to contribute to the country’s economy, which is dependent on tourism.

“I want to tell Indians to please be a part of Maldives’ tourism. Our economy depends on tourism,” Maldives Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisalin had said in an interview in May.

With inputs from agencies