India-Maldives row: Will a boycott by Indian tourists hurt the island nation?

The flawless blue of the sea and the pristine sand on its beaches have been alluring Indians for decades. Maldives is a tailormade honeymoon destination. It is where the rich and the famous throng for holidays. But maybe not anymore. Indians are boycotting Maldives in large numbers and Bollywood is leading from the front. But what’s brewing between New Delhi and the island nation? It all started after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Lakshadweep islands last week and promoted tourism there. While the PM said that he was “in awe of the stunning beauty” of the islands in the Laccadive Sea, off the coast of Kerala, he did not mention the Maldives.

Recently, I had the opportunity to be among the people of Lakshadweep. I am still in awe of the stunning beauty of its islands and the incredible warmth of its people. I had the opportunity to interact with people in Agatti, Bangaram and Kavaratti. I thank the people of the… pic.twitter.com/tYW5Cvgi8N

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 4, 2024

The visit to Lakshadweep caught the attention of Maldivian social media users who made offensive remarks against India. It snowballed into a bigger row after Maldives’ deputy minister of youth empowerment, information and arts, Mariyam Shiun, got involved. In a now-deleted post, she insulted PM Modi calling him a “clown” and the “puppet of Israel” and compared India to cow dung. Other Maldivian politicians made similar remarks, but the Maldivian government has distanced itself from them and suspended three ministers . Also read: What led to the spat between India and the Maldives? What has happened since then? However, Indians are angry and are rallying against one of their favourite holiday destinations. Many have cancelled their visit to the island nation. But how many Indians visit the Maldives and how will the row with India hurt its economy? [caption id=“attachment_13588102” align=“alignnone” width=“608”] Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Bangaram, in Lakshadweep last week. PTI[/caption] How Indians are boycotting the Maldives On Indian social media, #BoycottMaldives continues to trend along with other words related to the row – Maldives, Maldivian, and Lakshadweep. However, the outrage is not restricted to posts alone. Many Indians have reportedly called off their upcoming holidays to the island nation with several sharing screenshots, claiming to have cancelled air and travel bookings. Over 8,000 hotel bookings and 2,500 flight tickets have been cancelled by Indian tourists following the row, according to a report in Mint. X user Dr Falak Joshipura wrote that she “immediately cancelled” her February visit after seeing the tweet of the deputy minister of the Maldives.

Was planning to go to Maldives for my birthday which falls on 2nd of feb. Had almost finalised the deal with my travel agent (adding proofs below👇)
But immediately cancelled it after seeing this tweet of deputy minister of Maldives. #boycottmaldives pic.twitter.com/hd2R534bjY

— Falaq (she/her) (@fa_luck7) January 6, 2024

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An Indian traveller Akshit Singh, who had made bookings to the Maldives for travel between 31 March to 2 April, posted a screenshot on X, showing that he has cancelled the trip. He also said that he is “atmanirbhar” with domestic destinations like Lakshadweep. The interest in India’s smallest Union Territory has grown since PM Modi’s visit. But after the insulting comments against India, the “Chalo Lakshadweep” campaign has gained more momentum on social media and beyond. Online travel company EaseMyTrip has suspended all flight bookings to the Maldives. Its co-founder and chief executive officer Nishant Pitti wrote on X, “In solidarity with our nation, @EaseMyTrip has suspended all Maldives flight bookings.” The firm has also come up with “special offers” to promote the pristine destination that our PM @narendramodi has recently visited.

In solidarity with our nation, @EaseMyTrip has suspended all Maldives flight bookings ✈️ #TravelUpdate #SupportingNation #LakshadweepTourism #ExploreIndianlslands #Lakshadweep#ExploreIndianIslands @kishanreddybjp @JM_Scindia @PMOIndia @tourismgoi @narendramodi @incredibleindia https://t.co/wIyWGzyAZY

— Nishant Pitti (@nishantpitti) January 7, 2024

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, who recently visited the Maldives, has also vowed to explore Indian islands. “We are good to our neighbours but why should we tolerate such unprovoked hate? I’ve visited the Maldives many times and always praised it, but dignity first, he posted on X. Tour operators are expecting disruptions in travel plans in the coming days. The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) expects that the impact of the call for a boycott is expected to become evident over the next 20 to 25 days. Tour operators, however, deny reports of mass cancellations, saying those who paid for plane tickets and hotels in advance were unlikely to cancel plans. IATO president Rajiv Mehra said there was a sudden decline in inquiries for trips to the Maldives, expressing concerns about the potential impact on bookings. Those who had already made payments may not cancel but new bookings could see a drop, news agency ANI reported him as saying. However, Deep Kalra, the founder of Make My Trip, said that there was no pattern of mass cancellation, as reported. The data collected by the online travel giant showed no evidence of a widespread shift in travel plans to the Maldives, he said. How many Indians visit the Maldives every year? Indians are now travelling abroad more than ever. India has emerged as among the fastest-growing outbound destinations in the world and was poised to spend over $42 billion annually on travel by 2024, according to an earlier report by the news agency PTI. Indian tourists were among the highest visitors to the Maldives until December 2023, according to data from the country’s tourism ministry. A total of 17, 57,939 tourists arrived in the island nation until 13 December, an increase of 12.6 per cent compared to the 1.5 million arrivals recorded in 2022, the data reveals, according to a report by Hindustan Times. By the end of December, 209,198 arrivals were from India, followed by Russia (209,146) and China (187,118). [caption id=“attachment_13588052” align=“alignnone” width=“607”] Tourists enjoy the sandy beach of Olhuveli Island in the Maldives. Indian tourists were the highest to visit the island nation in 2023. File photo/Reuters[/caption] Aviation data also confirms that the islands have been a favourite among Indians. Between October to December 2018, 51,000 travellers flew between India and the Maldives on direct flights. This rose to 60,000 passengers in the same quarters in 2019, translating to 700 tourists every day, HT reports Despite COVID-19, between October to December 2020, 32,000 passengers visited the country. A year later, as the island nation welcomed tourists with restrictions even as the rest of the world did not open its doors, there was a surge in Indians vacationing in the Maldives. Around 1.15 lakh holidaymakers visited in the fourth quarter of 2021, averaging 1,250 every day on direct flights. This number fell in 2022 as the world lifted pandemic-related restrictions. India has remained the biggest tourist market share in the last three years – 23 per cent market share, 14.4 per cent in 2022 and 11.1 per cent in 2023. The economy of the Maldives is driven by tourism – 25 per cent of its GDP directly and 75 per cent from secondary sources. So if Indian tourists boycott the country en masse, it is likely to hurt.

How else is the Maldives dependent on India? To support the tourism industry in the Maldives, India has signed eight infrastructure projects including the Water and Sanitation on 34 islands project, the Hanimadhoo International Airport Redevelopment Project and the Gan International Airport Redevelopment Project, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Luxury resorts by India’s hospitality leaders like the Taj and the Oberoi among others operate in the islands. India has also been helping in the development of human resources across industries. Thousands of Indian workers in the hospitality and tourism industry. [caption id=“attachment_13588082” align=“alignnone” width=“700”] Tourists on the sandy beach of an island in the Maldives. The economy of the country is driven by tourism. File photo/Reuters[/caption] Apart from tourism, the country is dependent on agriculture and fishing. Since February 1974, the State Bank of India has been offering credit support for the development of island resorts, export of marine products and commercial ventures, according to MEA, reports News18. So this does not bode well for the nation, say experts. Dhananjay Tripathi, the chairperson of the international relations department at Delhi’s South Asian University, told Scroll that it was not in the interests of either Maldives or India to allow the relations to worsen further. “Maldives knows India is its immediate neighbour, not China,” Tripathi said. “Even for the Maldivian economy, it is bad if Indian tourists boycott the country.” The ties between the two nations have deteriorated under Maldives president Dr Mohamed Muizzu, who is known to be pro-China. The ‘India Out’ campaign has been in focus in the recent months. How the Maldives has gone into damage control mode Yet, India is important to the Maldives and some of its leaders realise that. They have gone into damage control mode. Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs Moosa Zameer said that these remarks against foreign leaders are “unacceptable” and do not reflect the official position of the Maldives government. He stated that the Maldives remains committed to fostering a “positive and constructive dialogue” with all its partners, particularly its neighbours. But is it enough to placate angry Indians? We will have to wait and watch. With inputs from agencies