'Please Be A Part Of...': Maldives Appeals For Tourist Support Amid Steep Decline In Indian Visitors

Amid strained bilateral ties with India under the Muizzu government, a top Maldives minister has urged Indian tourists to support its tourism-dependent economy. With the number of Indian tourists visiting the Maldives dwindling, the island nation’s tourism minister on Monday urged Indians to contribute to the country’s economy.

“We have a history. Our newly elected government also wants to work together (with India). We always promote peace and a friendly environment. Our people and the government will give a warm welcome to Indian arrivals. As the Tourism Minister, I want to tell Indians to please be a part of Maldives’ tourism. Our economy depends on tourism,” Maldivian Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal said in a PTI interview.

This request comes a few months after a huge backlash from India after Maldivian officials made derogatory remarks about India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media. Many Indians, including celebrities, canceled Maldives trips. Consequently, India’s ranking in tourism arrivals plummeted from the top to sixth place.

India Tourists Drop

The number of tourist arrivals from India declined by 42 percent in the first four months of this year compared to the first four months of last year, according to a sun.mv report published on Monday. At the start of this year, India was the top tourist market for the Maldives. Shortly into the year, India dropped to sixth place amongst the top tourist markets, the news portal reported.

According to Tourism Ministry statistics, Maldives recorded a total of 43,991 tourist arrivals from India as of May 4. Between January and April of last year, Maldives recorded 73,785 tourist arrivals. This year, the number stands at 42,638. The report attributed the steep decline in Indian tourists to the strained relations between India and the Maldives after the new administration led by President Mohamed Muizzu assumed office in November last year.

India-Maldives ties

The India-Maldives ties have come under stress as President Muizzu, widely seen as a pro-China leader, maintained after assuming charge as the president in November that he will keep his election promise of evicting Indian military personnel from his country. Soon after coming to power, Muizzu forced the withdrawal of the 88 Indian military personnel manning three aviation platforms gifted by India to the Maldives.

He has previously accused India of meddling in the affairs of the Maldives and won the presidential elections in September last year with an “India Out” campaign. The Maldives is India’s key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and occupies a special place in its initiatives like ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ of the Modi government.

(With PTI inputs)

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