According to the statistics of the Ministry of Tourism of Maldives, more than 17 lakh tourists visited the island in 2023, of which more than 2,09,198 were Indians, followed by Russians (2,09,146) and China (1,87,118). Photo: Pexels
Amid a diplomatic row between the Maldives and India, Chinese tourists have overtaken Indian holidaymakers visiting the archipelago, according to official figures released here on Monday.
According to official statistics from the Maldivian Ministry of Tourism, as of February 4, China occupies the number one spot with 23,972 tourists (11.2 percent market share in 2024); it was at number three in 2023.
India, which was ranked number 1 in 2023, has fallen to 5th position as of Sunday, with 16,536 tourists (7.7 percent market share in 2024) coming to the island.
The development could be a result of an outright backlash against the Maldives following the derogatory comments against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media by three Maldivian ministers after Modi posted photos and video on the west coast of India earlier in January.
Soon after the comments against Modi went viral, hundreds of social media users, including celebrities, protested with calls to boycott tourism in the Maldives and explore domestic destinations instead. Several social media users and even some travel companies claimed that Indians are canceling their planned trip to Maldives following the diplomatic row.
Shortly after taking oath as president of the Maldives on November 17, Muizzu, widely seen as a pro-China leader, formally requested India to withdraw 88 troops from his country by March 15, saying the Maldivian people had given him a “strong mandate”. “to address this request to New Delhi.
In the presidential runoff in September last year, 45-year-old Muizzu defeated India-friendly incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
During his visit to Beijing in January, President Muizzu met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang and discussed ways to increase the number of tourists from China to his tourism-dependent country, including increasing the number of direct flights between the two countries .
China said on January 31 that it has worked out a comprehensive visa cooperation agreement with 23 countries, including the Maldives.
According to the statistics of the Ministry of Tourism of Maldives, more than 17 lakh tourists visited the island in 2023, of which more than 2,09,198 were Indians, followed by Russians (2,09,146) and China (1,87,118).
China used to be the top source of foreign tourists before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in the country in 2019.
The number of Indian visitors stood at over 2.4 lakh in 2022, while over 2.11 lakh Indians flew to the Maldives in 2021. The Maldives was also one of the few countries open to international tourists during the pandemic and nearly 63,000 Indians visited the country during the period. .
Even the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) had then admitted that India has been making consistent and significant contributions to the Maldives tourism sector.
India has contributed greatly to our recovery efforts during COVID-19, right after we reopened our borders. Since then, India continues to be one of the top markets for the Maldives, MATI had said in a statement. condemned the derogatory comments made by the three ministers.
Now in 2024, on February 4, Russia was in second place with 21,898 tourists (10.2 percent market share), continuing its 2023 ranking. Italy, which ranked sixth in 2023, rose to number three in 2024 with 21,321 tourists (9.9 percent market share), while Great Britain, with 18,078 tourists and 8.4 percent market share, retained its number four position, as shown by the official data. showed.
Meanwhile, in his first presidential address on Monday, President Muizzu announced a landmark plan to expand the tourism sector, including establishing 20 new resorts this year, adding 2,800 beds and completing the development of undeveloped resorts.
The President additionally commented on the government’s ambitions to expand tourism services in the Maldives and highlighted the government’s efforts to promote tourism to the atolls, outlining plans to establish an ‘Asseyri Tourism’ project for Addu City, which includes a seaplane interchange, a statement from his office said.
Muizzu said the prospects for the country’s tourism sector “appear very promising”.
“The future does indeed seem promising. The Maldivian tourism sector, the cornerstone of our productivity, is about to reach a major milestone by welcoming two million tourists for the first time this year.
“Projects indicate that this growth trajectory will continue, with an average annual increase of 10.3 percent over the medium term, driven by the completion of Velana International Airport and the introduction of new flight routes,” he said.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
First print: February 5, 2024 | 7:53 PM IST