Maldives Seeks Tourism Boost from India Amid Declining Visitor Numbers

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

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Facing a drop in Indian tourists due to a social media boycott, the Maldives is intensifying efforts to rejuvenate its tourism sector by partnering with Indian stakeholders.

The Maldives is actively seeking to revitalize its tourism industry following a significant decline in Indian visitors, spurred by a social media campaign urging a boycott of the island nation. The Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) has initiated discussions with Munu Mahawar, the Indian High Commissioner, to enhance tourism promotion efforts between the two nations.

This outreach follows a troubling decrease in the number of Indian tourists, traditionally among the top visitors to the Maldives. The downturn began in January after offensive remarks by three Maldivian ministers against India and its Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, led to a “BoycottMaldives” campaign. From a leading position, Indian tourists to the Maldives fell to fifth in the ranks by the end of January, with only 36,840 Indian visitors recorded up to April 8 this year, marking a stark contrast to previous years’ figures.

In 2023, Indians constituted the largest visitor group with over 209,198 tourists, followed closely by Russians and Chinese. The numbers were even higher in previous years, with more than 240,000 Indians visiting in 2022 and over 211,000 in 2021, highlighting the significant impact of the boycott.

MATATO’s response includes plans for a comprehensive roadshow across major Indian cities and organizing influencer and media familiarisation trips to the Maldives in the coming months. These efforts aim to showcase the Maldives as a premier travel destination and mend the strained relations due to the political fallout.

The association emphasized the critical role of India as a “vital market” for Maldivian tourism and expressed optimism about restoring and increasing Indian tourist numbers through collaboration with travel associations and industry stakeholders across India.

Supporting their optimism are projections from industry reports and Euromonitor, which forecast a robust expansion in Indian outbound travel. Predictions suggest that by 2030, the Indian outbound travel market will double in size to 47 million travelers, spending around $84 billion, making it the sixth-largest globally.

Such projections underline the potential of the Indian market, which is already being targeted by other top destinations and airlines. For instance, Dubai introduced a five-year multiple-entry visa for Indians earlier this year to strengthen economic and tourism ties, illustrating the competitive environment in which the Maldives is operating to attract Indian tourists back to its shores.