In the past three years, Maldives has welcomed over 200,000 Indian visitors annually, making it the country with the highest number of tourists from any nation after the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, the popular destination for Indian travelers is currently experiencing a negative response.
According to official data, Indians, who were previously the leading tourist group visiting the Maldives, have now fallen to the fifth position in the past three weeks. The decline in Indian travelers to the island nation is evident from the figures released by the Maldives Ministry of Tourism.
The data reveals that over the last three years, more than 200,000 Indians visited the Maldives each year, making them the largest group of tourists from any country following the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the Maldives, which has been a popular travel destination for Indians, is now facing criticism due to derogatory comments made by three ministers from the Maldives cabinet against Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his visit to Lakshadweep earlier this month.
Based on statistics, Maldives received a total of 174,000 tourists until January 28 this year, with only 13,989 of them being Indians.
The top countries sending tourists to Maldives were Russia with 18,561 visitors, followed by Italy (18,111), China (16,529), and the UK (14,588).
Germany ranked sixth on the list, followed by the USA, France, Poland, and Switzerland.
In 2023, a total of 1.7 million tourists visited the Maldives, with the majority being Indians (209,198), followed closely by Russians (209,146) and Chinese (187,118).
The number of Indian visitors to the Maldives exceeded 240,000 in 2022 and over 211,000 in 2021. The Maldives was also one of the few countries that remained open to international tourists during the pandemic, attracting nearly 63,000 Indian visitors during that period.
In 2018, the number of tourists from India visiting the Maldives was 90,474, making India the fifth-largest source of tourist arrivals. However, in 2019, the number of Indian visitors increased significantly, placing India in the second spot with 1.66 lakh Indians visiting the country.
Recently, many social media users claimed that they have cancelled their planned trips to the Maldives due to a dispute, resulting in the hashtag “Boycott Maldives” trending on X for several days.
In support of this boycott movement, EaseMyTrip, an online travel aggregator, announced that it has suspended all flight bookings to the Maldives on its website as a sign of solidarity with India.
On the other hand, the Maldivian government took action by suspending three of its deputy ministers who criticized Modi’s post on X after his visit to Lakshadweep. This criticism implied that the Union Territory was being promoted as an alternative tourist destination to the Maldives.
The Maldivian government has acknowledged the existence of disparaging comments made on social media platforms against foreign leaders, but has clarified that these opinions do not reflect the official stance of the country. The Maldives, located in the heart of the Indian Ocean, boasts a collection of approximately 1,200 small coral islands spanning 871 kilometers. With its range of personalized spa treatments, thrilling adventure sports, and exceptional cuisine, this island nation offers a diverse array of experiences, making it an ideal destination for travelers. The allure of its stunning beaches and unique island atmosphere, combined with affordable airfare that is even more economical than traveling to certain cities in India, has greatly attracted Indian tourists.