Indians are disillusioned with Maldives.
There has been a huge decline in the number of Indians visiting this country, famous for its beautiful beaches and luxury tourism.
Where earlier India was at third place in terms of going to Maldives. At the same time, now it has slipped to fifth place.
According to the report released by Maldives Tourism Ministry, this decline has been recorded within the last three weeks. On the other hand, China has now reached third place in this list.
relations have been strained
It is noteworthy that recently relations between India and Maldives had become tense. This happened when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lakshadweep.
After his visit to Lakshadweep, PM Modi had said that people should also include it in their adventure list. However, later President Muizzu took action.
Maldives ministers and MPs had written objectionable things regarding this. In protest against this, a campaign of Boycott Maldives was started on social media.
It is believed that the decline in the number of Indians going to Maldives is a result of this dispute.
Let us tell you that Indian tourists have been very important for Maldives for a long time. In the year 2023, Indians contributed about 11 percent of the tourism market of Maldives.
what happened after
When the controversy increased after the posts of Maldivian ministers and leaders, these people deleted their tweets. Maldives Foreign Minister Musa Zameer had given a clarification that such statements cannot be accepted.
He even said that Maldives is committed to better relations with its partners. In a similar statement it was also said that the Maldives government cannot spoil relations with India.
It was even said that doing so would be economic suicide.
decline in indian shares
According to data from the Maldives’ Tourism Ministry, India started 2024 as the third largest contributor to its tourism with 7.1 per cent market share, while China was not even in the list of top 10 markets.
However, a sudden change in the numbers was seen after diplomatic tension. India’s market share for Maldives tourism stood at 8 per cent as of January 28, with China and the UK overtaking the country in the top 10 list, taking the third and fourth positions respectively.
However, a sudden change in the numbers was seen after diplomatic tension. India’s market share for Maldives tourism stood at 8 per cent as of January 28, with China and the UK overtaking the country in the top 10 list, taking the third and fourth positions respectively.