Diplomatic row leads Maldivian storm spread to travel, trade, celebland

As #BoycottMaldives trended, a travel technology firm decided to indefinitely suspend all flight bookings to the island nation. Meanwhile, searches for Lakshadweep shot up manyfold

Flight bookings were suspended or cancelled. Trade organisations called for a boycott of business deals. An envoy was summoned. Celebrities took to social media to give the thumbs down to a neighbouring archipelago, instead making a case for idyllic Indian islands.

The ripples caused by disparaging social media posts on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent Lakshadweep visit by three since-suspended Maldivian deputy ministers escalated into a full-blown storm on Monday. And it swirled beyond diplomatic corridors, with businesses joining in to act on the fury. As #BoycottMaldives trended, a travel technology (traveltech) firm decided to indefinitely suspend all flight bookings to the island nation. Meanwhile, searches for Lakshadweep shot up manifold.

“We've suspended Maldives flight bookings in support of the government, impacting 240,000 annual bookings made through our platform,” said Prashant Pitti, co-founder of EaseMyTrip. “In fact, bookings (had) surged by approximately 40 per cent last year as compared with (the) previous.”

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) said they were getting no new enquiries for the Maldives from Indian tourists. “We have not seen cancellations because people have invested money on bookings related to travel. However, in 15-20 days, we may see some impact,” IATO President Rajiv Mehra said.

Travel Agents' Association of India President Jyoti Mayal, meanwhile, said, “Some of our travel operators have informed us that they have seen a surge in cancellations in hotel bookings in the Maldives.” India, she added, is the top market for the tourism-dependent Maldives, and if Indians boycott its sun-kissed beaches and luxury resorts, that can become a “pain point” for the island nation. Tourism makes for nearly one-third of the Maldives’ economy.

In 2023, Indians accounted for the highest number of tourists – 11.1 per cent – to the archipelago, shows the Maldives tourism ministry’s data released by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation India (CAPA) on January 8. In 2022, more than 240,000 Indians had flown to the Maldives.

Besides others, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has urged exporters to refrain from conducting business dealings with the Maldives.

CAIT National President B C Bhartia and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said the call to boycott the Maldives aims to express solidarity and register disapproval against such disrespectful behaviour.

Amidst the outrage, airlines are watching the developments closely.

“The Maldives row started over the weekend… It is too early to say anything about it. We have not seen any impact yet,” said Deepak Rajawat, chief commercial officer, Vistara, at a press briefing. 

IndiGo operates the maximum number of flights – 48 per week – between India and the Maldives, followed by Vistara (28) and Air India (12).  None of the airlines have cancelled their flights between the two countries yet. 

Travel websites such as MakeMyTrip, Cleartrip and Yatra did not respond to Business Standard’s queries on whether they intended to cancel flight bookings to the Maldives, like EaseMyTrip. 

Sailing to Lakshadweep

The remarks against Modi were made following his visit to Lakshadweep, the pictures of which were posted on social media. Travel portals say they have since witnessed an unprecedented uptick in online search for Lakshadweep. 

Raj Rishi Singh, chief marketing and business officer of MakeMyTrip, India’s largest traveltech platform, said on-platform searches for Lakshadweep had shot up 3,400 per cent.

“This inspired us to build a ‘Beaches of India’ campaign, under which customers can gain knowledge about the beaches of India,” he said. The firm is offering deals and discounts for it.

EaseMyTrip has also decided to come up with special offers to promote domestic travel destinations like Lakshadweep, which, Pitti said, are “as good as” the Maldives and Seychelles.

Online travel portal Ixigo, meanwhile, has recorded a 2,900 per cent surge in travel queries for Lakshadweep over the last 3-4 days. And Yatra said it had witnessed on-platform searches jump by some 3,000 per cent for Lakshwadeep.

“Our government’s call to explore India’s gems has sparked a tremendous wave of interest, and this remarkable spike resonates with the nation’s eagerness to explore the hidden treasures of India," said Aloke Bajpai, co-founder and Group CEO, Ixigo.

The Israeli embassy in India, too, joined the chorus. “... For those who are yet to witness the pristine and majestic underwater beauty of #lakshadweepislands, here are a few pictures showing this island's enchanting allure," the embassy wrote on X.

Several celebrities also took to social media to promote domestic destinations.

In a post on X, Amitabh Bachchan described Lakshadweep and the Andamans as “astonishingly beautiful locations”. “We are Bharat. We are Atmanirbhar. Our self-reliance should not be questioned. Jai Hind," he wrote.

Fellow star Akshay Kumar termed the Maldivian leaders’ remarks as “unprovoked hate” towards “a country that sends them the maximum number of tourists”. “I've visited the Maldives many times and always praised it, but dignity first. Let us decide to #ExploreIndianIslands and support our own tourism," he wrote.

Several others, including Salman Khan, Varun Dhawan, Kangana Ranaut, John Abraham and Shraddha Kapoor, along with veteran cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatesh Prasad and Virender Sehwag, also made a pitch for domestic tourist destinations over the Maldives.  

China factor

New Delhi summoned Maldivian envoy Ibrahim Shaheeb and Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives Munu Mahawar also held a "pre-arranged" meeting with the Maldivian foreign ministry on Monday. 

Even as the storm brewed, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu flew to China on his first state visit from January 8 to 12. This was a break from the past, when India would traditionally be the first port of call for Maldivian leaders. Relations have been a bit tense since Muizzu came to power in November, winning the election on an “India Out” campaign.

The last time trouble had brewed was when the Maldives cancelled the GMR Group’s contract to build an international airport in Male in 2012. Four years later, GMR won an international arbitration against the Maldives government and was awarded $270 million as compensation.

That matter was settled. The latest storm is yet to ebb. 

With inputs from Reuters and PTI