India-Maldives News Today: India ‘closest’ ally, says Maldives tourism panel; Indian trade body urges ‘stop promoting Maldives’ | All you need to know

Last week, Prime Minister Modi’s posts on X highlighting Lakshadweep as a tourist destination sparked controversy on social media when Maldivian users began making derogatory remarks. The situation escalated further as Maldivian ministers joined in. With India being a top market source for the Maldives’ tourism industry, we take a look at how the diplomatic row is playing out.

👉 10 things you need to know about the India-Maldives row:

🔴 The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) in a press release on Tuesday said: “India has also been a consistent and significant contributor to the Tourism Industry of the Maldives. A contribution that has greatly assisted our recovery during COVID-19, right after we re-opened our borders. Since then, India has continued to remain one of the top markets for the Maldives.”

🔴 “It is our sincere wish that the close relationship between our two nations endures for generations to come and as such, we refrain from actions or speeches that may have any negative impact on our good relationship,” the statement read.

🔴 Data from the tourism ministry in Maldives shows that Indian residents in 2023 accounted for 11.2 per cent of the total tourist arrivals—18.42 lakh—in the island nation.

🔴  Aviation consultancy CAPA India, too, stated that the current situation highlights how tourism can be drawn into geopolitical and economic affairs, especially in cases where a destination has significant dependence on key source markets.

🔴 The row was triggered after PM Modi shared some photographs from his visit to the Lakshadweep islands last week, promoting tourism in the Union Territory. And even though he did not mention the Maldives, it sparked off a social media war between Maldivian politicians, government officials and Indian social media users.

🔴 After his post, Maldivian MP Zahid Rameez had remarked, “The initiative is commendable. However, attempting to compete with us is unrealistic. How can they match our level of service? How can their standards match our cleanliness? The persisting room odour will be their biggest drawback.” In addition to Rameez’s comments, Minister Shiuna made derogatory statements about Modi, labelling the Prime Minister as a “clown” and a “puppet.” The ministers were suspended with immediate effect, hours after the Maldives government distanced itself from the derogatory remarks made by them.

🔴 Dr Subhash Goyal, chairman of the Aviation and Tourism Committee of the Indian Chamber of Commerce, urged travel agents to stop promoting tourism to Maldives. Goyal said, “On behalf of the Aviation and Tourism Committee of Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), I appeal to all members and Tourism Trade Associations like: Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI), Association of Domestic Tour Operators (ADTOI) and MICE Agents to stop promoting Maldives in view of the anti-India feelings expressed by the Ministers of Maldives”. Earlier, EaseMyTrip CEO Nishant Pitti had announced that the travel company has suspended all flight bookings to Maldives.

🔴 Meanwhile, the Maldivian envoy to India was summoned to the external affairs ministry on Monday. The Ministry conveyed its strong concerns over the disparaging social media posts.

🔴 Also, numerous Indian celebrities put out social media posts advocating for exploring domestic tourist destinations rather than visiting the Maldives. Celebrities like Salman Khan, Shraddha Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, and Sachin Tendulkar, urged people to visit “Indian islands” and coastal spots.

🔴 The controversy came ahead of a week-long visit by President Mohamed Muizzu to China. The newly appointed President has displayed a close alignment with China since assuming office just over a month ago. Soon after taking the top position, he had also called for the removal of Indian military personnel from the Maldives.