When compared to data from the same period in 2023, the number of tourists visiting the Maldives from India fell by nearly 40% between January and March of 2024. Simultaneously, the overall count of visitors from China increased by more than 200%.
Maldives Tourism Report; Shifts in Visitor Arrivals from India and China
The Ministry of Tourism in the Maldives recently released its monthly report on visitor arrivals. The information displayed the number of visitors to the island nation from January to March of this year.
According to the report, 56,208 Indian tourists traveled to the Maldives in January through March of 2023. The figure fell to 34,847 between January and March of 2024. This represented a 38% decrease from 2023.
In the meantime, 17,691 Chinese visitors traveled to the Maldives in January–March of 2023. The total increased to 67,399 between January and March of 2024, marking a 281 percent peak.
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Shift in Maldives Tourism; China Overtakes India as Top Market
Based on the most recent data, China is the top market with an 11 percent share for Maldives tourism, while India is ranked sixth in the top 10.
The information is important because, in the past, India was the top source of tourism-related data for the Maldives. In the chart displaying the nationality-wise arrivals of tourists in the Maldives from January to November 2023, Indians came in second only to Russians. In contrast to China, India began to see a rise in arrivals in 2020.
Prior to 2020, Chinese tourists topped the Maldives’ tourism charts. China’s share of the “Top Ten Markets Arrivals” in the Maldives in 2020 was 18.31%, the highest that year.
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India’s Decline in Maldives Tourism; Factors and Implications
Up until December of last year, India dominated the Maldives’ tourism industry. India’s standing began to deteriorate on January 2 of this year, when it was placed third out of the top 10 countries that account for the majority of the Maldives’ tourism market share. On January 21 and March 3, respectively, India’s ranking fell even lower to fifth and sixth. China rose from the tenth position on the chart to the top spot ever since.
The decline in Indian tourism was observed shortly after the Maldives incident in the first week of January, which was sparked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attempt to advertise Laskhwadeep as a travel destination. Subsequently, Mohamed Muizzu, the president of the Maldives, asked India to evacuate its soldiers stationed there.
The fact that fewer tourists are traveling from India and more are coming from China is consistent with Muizzu’s policies and agreements, which appear to favor China over India.
