The Maldives is feeling the pinch as the number of Indian tourists visiting the island nation has dropped significantly in the past few months. Indian tourists who used to flock to the Maldives are now avoiding the island nation. India dropped to sixth position in 2024 compared to being the top visitor in 2023.
According to statistics from the Maldives Ministry of Tourism, more than 17 million tourists visited the island nation in 2023, of which more than 2,09,198 visitors were Indians, followed by Russians (2,09,146) and Chinese (1,87,118).
The number of Indian visitors was more than 2.4 million in 2022, while more than 2.11 million Indians flew to the Maldives in 2021. Around 63,000 Indians visited the country during this period and the Maldives was one of the few countries to welcome international tourists during the pandemic.
Also Read
- India Ranks 134 on UN’s Human Development Index 2022
- Why thousands of people have taken to the streets in Ladakh
Statistics from the Department of Tourism for 2023 showed that 41,054 Indian tourists had visited the Maldives till March 4 last year. The number of Indian tourists recorded as of March 2 this year was 27,224. This was 13,830 less than last year, said Adhadhu of the Maldives.
India ranked sixth in tourist arrivals in 2024, the ministry’s statistics showed, compared to a consistent first place since 2020.
The India-Maldives spat began after three Maldivian deputy ministers made derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over photographs of his visit to Lakshadweep. PM Modi has called for the development of India’s island grouping as a destination for beach tourism and promotion of domestic tourism.
