Significant decline in Indian travel to the Maldives in 2024 after diplomatic dispute
According to figures, fewer Indians visited the Maldives in the first three months of this year. A diplomatic spat between Delhi and Male coincides with the decline in Indian visitors traveling to the country located in the Indian Ocean.
Authorities in the Maldives have released figures on tourism, showing that 34,847 Indians came to the islands between January and March of this year. Compared to the same time last year, when over 56,000 visitors visited the Maldives, this represents a steep 38% decline.
According to the data, 12,792 Indians, or 7.1% of the entire population, traveled to the island country in January 2024.
11,522 Indian visitors traveled to the Maldives in February of this year, compared to 19,497 during the same month the previous year.
Just 8,322 Indians traveled to the country in March of this year, compared to 18,099 in the same month in 2023.
The information is related to Mohamed Muizzu’s ‘India Out’ campaign and the ‘Boycott Maldives’ movement that followed, which became well-liked on Indian social media.
Subsequently, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Lakshadweep islands, the hashtag “Visit Lakshadweep” became more popular online.
The information also reveals a consistent increase in Indian tourists to the island country in recent years. One lakh Indians traveled to the Maldives in 2018, based on the statistics. In 2019, the figure rose to 1.6 lakh.
The Maldives had 2.91 lakh more Indian visitors in 2021 after the nation relaxed its COVID-19 restrictions.
Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep, three Maldivian deputy ministers made disparaging remarks about him online, sparking the most recent diplomatic spat between India and the Maldives.
The three ministers were suspended by President Muizzu due to their social media posts that caused alarm in India and prompted a demand for a boycott on the platform.
