Data for the first nine days of January shows that tourist arrivals from India to the Maldives has been at similar levels as last year during the same period.
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu's request to China to 'intensify' efforts to send more tourists to its shores comes at a time when the country is already figuring among the top five -- led by India -- that contribute to footfall in the island nation.
The statement, made during Muizzu's first visit to China after taking over as president, comes days after three junior ministers in the Maldives made offensive remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi.
While the three ministers were suspended, there has been no statement of apology from the Maldivian government, which led to a strong backlash in India with many pushing for a ban on travelling to the archipelago in the Indian Ocean.
However, data for the first nine days of January shows that tourist arrivals from India to the Maldives has been at similar levels as last year during the same period.
At the same time, more Chinese tourists are flocking to the Maldives than before.
According to data from the country's ministry of tourism, in calendar year 2022, China was ranked 27th in the list of nations sending tourists to the Maldives.
India, with a 14.4 per cent share of total arrivals, was at the top, followed by Russia (12.1 per cent) and the UK (10.7 per cent).
In 2023, Chinese footfall jumped to the third spot. They are very close to the numbers from India and Russia and may soon soar to the number 1 spot.
With 187,118 tourists visiting the Maldives, China had a 10 per cent share in the country's visitor pie last year and closed in on India, which sent 203,198 tourists (11.1 per cent).
Russia, which was in the second spot, was behind India by only 52 tourists last year.
While the arrivals from India have fallen by around 13 per cent in 2023 compared to 2022, data from the ministry of tourism in Maldives shows that Chinese tourist numbers had grown by over 13 to 14 times in the same period.
This is because Chinese arrivals reduced to a trickle (12,000-odd from January to November) in 2022 due to stringent pandemic restrictions on travels abroad.
After the curbs were lifted, there has been a big spike in the influx of tourists from China to the Maldives.
Despite the backlash over the comments on Modi, the number of Indian visitors to the Maldives in the first nine days of January is at 3,791, accounting for 7.4 per cent of the tourist inflows in 2024.
That is more or less in line with the numbers during the same period last year, when 3,356 arrivals from India accounted for a share of 7.4 per cent.
In January, the bulk of the tourists to the Maldives come from Europe. Hence, Russia, Italy and the UK collectively account for 26 per cent of arrivals in the first nine days of the year.
Says Anil Kalsi, secretary and vice-president, Travel Agents Federation of India, "Passengers who have booked and paid for holidays tend to lose most of their money if they cancel at a short notice."
"Considering the ground situation isn't worrisome, pre-booked passengers are going ahead with their plans. But future bookings are seeing a downward trend as national sentiments become a deciding factor," Kalsi added.
Kalsi says that many Indian tourists are giving the Maldives a miss and are exploring alternative destinations such as Thailand, Bali, Malaysia, Vietnam, Almaty, Baku and even Tbilisi.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
