Maldives sees big dip in Indian tourists amid diplomatic row
PTC News Desk: The number of Indian tourists visiting the Maldives has plummeted by 33% since last year, according to Maldivian website Adhadhu, citing data from the Maldives Tourism Ministry. This comes as the diplomatic row between New Delhi and Male worsens.
According to Tourism Ministry figures for 2023, 41,054 Indian tourists visited the Maldives by March 4 of last year. As of March 2, this year, there have been 27,224 Indian tourists documented. Adhadhu, based in the Maldives, reported that this was 13,830 less than the previous year.
In the same period last year, India was the second largest source market for tourists to the Maldives, accounting for 10% of the market. However, India is now ranked sixth on the list, with a 6% market share.
The dispute arose after three Maldivian deputy ministers made disparaging remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pictures from his visit to Lakshadweep. PM Modi had urged for the Indian island cluster to be developed as a beach tourism destination, as well as to promote domestic tourism.
The situation escalated into a huge diplomatic crisis, with New Delhi summoning the Maldivian ambassador and expressing strong opposition to the viral posts.
Earlier this year, Maldives tourist sector stakeholders raised worry as the boycott campaign in India gained traction and support from well-known Indian film stars.
The Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) undertook a survey to assess the impact of booking cancellations by Indian customers. However, the conclusions were not made public, as reported by Adhadhu.
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