Indians topped Maldives tourist arrivals in 2022, 2023: Govt data
Tour operators say they are getting “no new inquiries” about the Maldives; deny reports of mass cancellations, say impact will be felt in 20-25 days
As the furore over derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and racist comments against India continues despite the suspension of three Maldives ministers, data released by the Maldives government earlier this month shows that India sent the most tourists to the island nation in 2023.
According to the data released by the Maldives tourism ministry on January 4, Indians made up for 11.1 per cent of the total 1,878,543 tourists in 2023, with a total number of 209,198 Indian visitors recorded in the country. Russia followed in second place with 209,146 arrivals (11.1 %), while China came third with 187,118 visitors (10%).
This was a continued trend from 2022, when also India sent the most tourists (241,369), making for 14.4 per cent of the total 1,675,294 tourists. Russia was in second place (201,957/12.1%), and the UK ranked third (179,312/10.7%).
“No new inquiries”
However, with the unfolding of the incidents over the weekend, the flow of Indian tourists to the island nation may take a hit. While many Indian travellers claimed to have cancelled their trips overnight, online travel booking company EaseMyTrip on Monday (January 8) said it had suspended all flight bookings to Maldives.
According to a report by news agency ANI, tour operators have said they are receiving “no new inquiries” by people about the Maldives. The report quoted the Indian Association of Tour Operators as predicting that the repercussions of the incident, which prompted a boycott call for the Maldives in India, will be felt in 20 to 25 days.
They denied reports of mass cancellations, though, saying that those who have already paid for their bookings were not likely to cancel them. MakeMyTrip founder Deep Kalra, too, was quoted as saying the same: There have been no mass cancellations of bookings.
The Maldives row
The root of the incident goes back to Prime Minister Modi recently posting pictures of himself while snorkelling in the sea and relaxing on Lakshadweep’s stunning beaches. As those pictures went viral on social media and Lakshadweep topped the trending charts on X, some suggested that it could easily compete against the Maldives.
However, that did not go down very well with some Maldivians, including ministers Mariyam Shiuna, Malsha Shareef, and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid, who scoffed at Modi and Indians in general in their respective X posts. Shiuna accused India of targeting the Maldives, saying it was nowhere near the Maldives in beach tourism, and encouraged tourists to visit Maldives instead. Some other Maldivian netizens joined in, posting derogatory and racist comments against Indians.
The Maldives government distanced itself from the ministers, saying they did not represent the views of the government, and subsequently suspended them. But it was too late by then and Indians had already erupted on social media with a “boycott-Maldives” call.
