Amid an escalating row between India and the Maldives, hashtag #BoycottMaldives gained traction on social media as Indian tourists started canceling their scheduled vacations to the island nation.
The row erupted after the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, visited the Indian islands of Lakshadweep to promote tourism. The visit was perceived by some in the Maldives as an attempt to draw tourists away from the archipelago in the Indian Ocean, whose economy is heavily dependent on tourism.
Three Maldivian ministers were been suspended after making derogatory comments about Modi on social media. The Maldives foreign ministry said the comments – later deleted – were made in a personal capacity and did not represent the official government view.
Amidst this, Nishant Pitti, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of EaseMyTrip announced the suspension of all Maldives flight bookings following the derogatory remarks made by Maldives ministers against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Standing in support of India, Nishant Pitti took to social media X, stating, “In solidarity with our nation, @EaseMyTrip has suspended all Maldives flight bookings.
EaseMyTrip also began its ‘Visit Lakshadweep’ campaign by #ChaloLakshadweep. In his post on X, he said, “Water & beaches of Lakshadweep are as good as Maldives/Seychelles We at @EaseMyTrip will come up with crazy special-offers to promote this pristine destination that our PM @narendramodi has recently visited!
The Indian Association of Tour Operators predicted that the call for a boycott would become apparent within the next 20-25 days. Many Indians on social media have claimed that they have canceled their planned holidays to the island nation.
“Suddenly, there has been no inquiry on Maldives. There are sudden drops. Those who have made payments will not cancel them. We are expecting that people will not book trips to the Maldives,” Rajiv Mehra, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators, said.
Online travel company MakeMyTrip too said in a post on X that it too has seen more than 3,400 per cent jump in searches related to Lakshadweep since Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the island and added that the company is launching a special campaign for India’s “stunning beaches”.
The Maldives is a popular place among Indians as a tourist destination. Indian tourists were the highest among visitors to the Maldives till December 2023, according to data from the country’s tourism ministry. The largest number of tourists who visited the Maldives were from India (2,09,198), followed by Russia (2,09,146) and China (1,87,118).
“Maldives is quite popular among Indians. But this incident will have an impact. We are also seeing an impact right now as well. We are expecting a downfall in people choosing the Maldives as a tourist destination,” a Delhi-based tour operator said on the condition of anonymity.
