Maldives sees 33% drop in Indian tourists amid diplomatic row; top visiting country is…

As the bilateral ties between New Delhi and Male continue to deteriorate, a recent report citing data from the Maldives tourism ministry showed that the number of Indian tourists in the country dipped by 33 percent as compared to March last year.

A report from Male-based Adhadhu stated that in March 2023, over 41,000 Indian tourists visited Maldives while the number dropped to just 27,224 in March 2024, showing a steep decline of 33 percent. The primary reason behind this decline is the tourism campaign of the Indian government, prompting citizens to explore the Lakshadweep islands.

Till March 2023, India was the second largest source of tourism for Maldives, with a 10 percent share in the market, the report said. However, the diplomatic tensions between the two nations led to India dropping to the sixth place, with a six percent market share.

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While India sees a major drop in the number of tourists, China has seen a sudden spike in the number of tourists visiting Maldives. As the ties between China and Maldives strengthen, the former has seen over 54,000 tourist arrivals in the country in 2024.

China is now the top visiting country for Maldives, leading a significant chunk of the market. The island nation saw a total of 217,394 tourists arrive in February this year, out of which over 34,600 were from China. Notably, India was the top tourist market for Maldives in 2021, 2022, and 2023, with more than 200,000 tourists per year.

India-Maldives diplomatic row

The Indian tourist market for Maldives started seeing a significant decline after the appointment of President Mohamed Muizzu, who is known to be a pro-China leader. Muizzu also passed the order to push out Indian military personnel from Maldives, escalating tensions between the two nations.

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The ties between the two countries worsened when Maldivian ministers made derogatory comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media, triggering a wave of global outrage.

President Muizzu visited China just a week after derogatory comments against PM Modi were posted. He urged China to revive its tourism market in Maldives to boost the island nation's economy.

The Maldivian president said, “China was our number one market pre-COVID, and it is my request that we intensify efforts for China to regain this position.”

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