Amid diplomatic spat, India slips to 5th spot on Maldives' tourism chart

Amid the ongoing diplomatic tensions, the tourist traffic from India to Maldives has witnessed a considerable drop. According to the data released by the tourism ministry of Maldives, India now stands at the fifth spot among the list of origin countries for tourists to the island nation.

The data shows that India has been slipping in rank since the start of January. Based on the data for January 1 to 3, India was the third largest market for Maldives, with a market share of 7.6 per cent. It slipped to the fourth spot by January 17, and as of January 24, India's rank was fifth.

Notably, in 2023, India was the biggest tourism market for Maldives, with a market share of 11.1 per cent. In 2022, too, India stood first on the list.

This comes against the backdrop of high diplomatic tensions between the two nations.

Last month, three deputy ministers at the Youth Ministry in Maldives, Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid, made derogatory remarks against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media platform X in response to a video promoting tourism in Lakshadweep.

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The remarks drew flak in India, with many celebrities urging people to explore domestic tourist destinations instead of going to the Maldives. Posts on social media platforms also claimed that many Indians cancelled their trips to Maldives in response to the remarks.

All three ministers were suspended, and the government of Maldives distanced itself from the remarks.

Later, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, after he visited China, said, "We may be small, but that doesn't give you the license to bully us." He did not mention any country in particular.

He also announced plans to reduce the country's dependency on India, including securing imports of essential food commodities, medicine, and consumables from other countries. "We aren't in anyone's backyard. We are an independent and sovereign state," he said.

Muizzu also said that China "fully supports" Maldives' sovereignty.

Notably, China has continued to climb on the list of top tourism markets for Maldives this month. On January 3, it stood at the tenth spot. As of January 24, it had climbed to third spot with a market share of 8.5 per cent among all tourists.