Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited Lakshadweep and posted pictures of his journey on social media. Many commenters made the comparison between the islands and the Maldives, which are situated in the Indian Ocean further to the south. Three Maldives Youth Ministry deputy ministers, Malsha Shareef, Maryam Shiuna, and Mahzoom Majid, also commented on the posts on X that made derogatory remarks about India and Mr. Modi, which sparked a diplomatic dispute. The foreign ministry of the Maldives dissociated itself from their statements, stating that their individual opinions did not reflect the views of the nation. They were suspended by the Maldivian government.
On Indian social media, the remarks caused a stir, with several people declaring they were postponing their planned vacations to the Maldives. It remains to be seen if this has any real effect on the number of tourists that arrive in the Maldives. Celebrities in India encouraged people to visit popular domestic tourist spots like Lakshadweep. Ahmed Mahloof, a former Maldivian minister of sports, voiced his worries about the controversy, claiming that "Indians boycotting the Maldives" will severely harm the nation.
Given that tourism is a significant source of income for the archipelago, the Maldivian government's strong response to the ministers' remarks is hardly surprise. In recent years, there have been considerable increases in both the number of hotels and the number of tourists visiting the Maldives (Chart 1). In that time, there were a staggering number of resorts—172 as opposed to 88—as well as beds for tourists—roughly 60,000 as opposed to 16,000—and visitor arrivals—over 16 lakh.
The Asian Development Bank recently advocated for the Maldives' economy to be more diversified, citing the country's excessive reliance on tourism. According to the blog, the primary economic activity in the 1980s were agriculture and fishing, with tourism accounting for only 13% of the GDP. According to the blog, although the tourist sector currently contributes 20% of GDP directly, its indirect impact can reach up to 80%.
