The first nine days of January saw similar tourist arrivals from India to the Maldives as previous year. Meanwhile, Chinese tourists are visiting the Maldives more.
China is already among the top five countries, led by India, that bring tourists to the Maldives. President Mohamed Muizzu has asked China to ‘intensify’ its efforts to attract more tourists.
The allegation was made during Muizzu’s maiden visit to China as president, days after three Maldives junior ministers insulted Modi.
The three ministers were suspended, but the Maldivian government has not apologized, prompting a furious outcry in India and calls to ban tourism to the Indian Ocean archipelago.
In the first nine days of January, Indian tourists to the Maldives were at comparable levels as last year.
Meanwhile, Chinese visitors are visiting the Maldives more.
China was 27th in sending tourists to the Maldives in 2022, according to the ministry of tourism.
India led total arrivals with 14.4%, followed by Russia (12.1%) and the UK (10.7%).
Chinese traffic rose to third in 2023. They are close to India and Russia and may soon top the list.
China accounted for 10% of Maldives visitors last year with 187,118 and closed in on India with 203,198.
Russia, second, behind India by 52 visitors last year.
Indian arrivals fell by 13% in 2023 compared to 2022, whereas Chinese visits increased by 13 to 14 times, according to Maldives tourism ministry data.
Due to pandemic limitations on travel, Chinese visitors dropped to 12,000 from January to November 2022.
After the limits were eliminated, Chinese travelers visiting the Maldives increased significantly.
Despite the outrage over Modi’s comments, 3,791 Indian tourists visited the Maldives in the first nine days of January, 7.4% of 2024’s total.
That matches the 7.4% share of 3,356 Indian immigrants from the same period last year.
European travelers dominate Maldives tourism in January. The first nine days of the year see 26% of arrivals from Russia, Italy, and the UK.
He says, “Passengers who have booked and paid for holidays tend to lose most of their money if they cancel at a short notice.”
“Pre-booked passengers are proceeding because the ground situation isn’t worrying. Future bookings are falling as national sentiments weigh in “Kalsi added.
Kalsi claims many Indian tourists are skipping the Maldives for Thailand, Bali, Malaysia, Vietnam, Almaty, Baku, and Tbilisi.
Conclusion
China is already one of the top five tourist destinations in the Maldives, but President Mohamed Muizzu has asked China to increase tourism. The first nine days of January saw similar Indian visitor visits to the Maldives as last year, but Chinese tourists increased. China was 27th in 2022 in sending tourists to the Maldives, followed by India (14.2%), Russia (12.1%), and the UK (10.7%). China rose to third in 2023, behind India and Russia, and may soon top the list. Despite criticism of Modi comments, 3,791 Indian tourists visited the Maldives in the first nine days of January, 7.4% of 2024’s total.
