Political Tensions Impacts Maldives Tourism: India falls to 5th spot in Rankings

The Maldives has experienced a notable shift in its tourist demographics over the past three weeks, as data from the island nation's tourism ministry reveals a significant drop in Indian visitors from the third to the fifth largest group. As of December 31 last year, India had held the top position in terms of the number of tourists, with 209,198 arrivals, constituting nearly 11 per cent of the Maldives' tourism market for that year. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's beach excursion to Lakshadweep on January 2 and a diplomatic fallout with the Maldives triggered a significant decline in Indian tourist numbers.

What's the controversy?

Modi's visit to Lakshadweep and his subsequent social media posts were interpreted by some in the Maldives as a strategic move to divert tourists away from their nation. Three junior ministers in the Mohamed Muizzu government posted derogatory comments against the prime minister, sparking a wave of anti-Maldives sentiment on social media platforms in India. The hashtag #BoycottMaldives started trending on social media, accompanied by reports of cancelled trips to the island nation.

An Indian travel portal EaseMyTrip suspended bookings for flights to the Maldives in solidarity with the nation. The Maldives officials later deleted their posts and were suspended by the country's president for posting derogatory comments against India. Maldives foreign minister Moosa Zameer called the officials’ remarks “unacceptable,” and said his country is committed to “fostering a positive and constructive dialogue with our partners.”“The government of Maldives can’t afford to have a spat with India, and it will be an economic suicide. Everybody should see this,” said Shaheed.

According to the official Maldivian government data, this is how countries rank in terms of arrivals in the archipelago. 

Russia: 18,561 arrivals (10.6% market share, Rank 2 in 2023)

Italy: 18,111 arrivals (10.4% market share, Rank 6 in 2023)

China: 16,529 arrivals (9.5% market share, Rank 3 in 2023)

UK: 14,588 arrivals (8.4% market share, Rank 4 in 2023)

India: 13,989 arrivals (8.0% market share, Rank 1 in 2023)

Germany: 10,652 arrivals (6.1% market share)

USA: 6,299 arrivals (3.6% market share, Rank 7 in 2023)

France: 6,168 arrivals (3.5% market share, Rank 8 in 2023)

Poland: 5,109 arrivals (2.9% market share, Rank 14 in 2023)

Switzerland: 3,330 arrivals (1.9% market share, Rank 10 in 2023)