As per a report, following a diplomatic dispute between India and the Maldives, it seems that a significant number of Indian tourists are now choosing Sri Lanka as their preferred destination.
In January 2024, Sri Lanka experienced a surge in tourist arrivals, surpassing the Maldives.
Adhadhu, a news outlet based in Male, reported that Sri Lanka, which had been trailing behind the Maldives in tourist numbers for the past four years, saw a reversal of this trend in January. The Maldives received 192,385 tourists, while Sri Lanka welcomed 208,253 tourists during the same period, marking a notable increase compared to the previous January.
The diplomatic tension between Male and New Delhi in January was triggered by comments made by Maldivian ministers against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India. In response, Indian tourists reacted strongly, initiating a ‘boycott Maldives’ campaign. This shift in tourist preferences has seemingly contributed to Sri Lanka overtaking the Maldives in terms of tourist arrivals for the first time in several years.
According to Adhadhu, the substantial increase in Indian tourists was a key factor contributing to the 100 percent surge in tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka in January. In the same month last year, 13,759 Indians visited Sri Lanka, but this figure more than doubled to 34,399 this January. Interestingly, India emerged as the leading source of tourists for Sri Lanka in January, marking a significant shift in travel patterns.
Contrastingly, the Maldives experienced a noteworthy decline in the number of Indian tourists. Despite previously holding the top position among visitors to the island nation, Indians slipped to the fifth position in the last three weeks of January. The Maldives recorded a drop in Indian tourist arrivals from 17,029 in January last year to 15,006 this year, highlighting a contrasting trend between the two neighbouring destinations.
In the past three years, Maldives has consistently welcomed over 200,000 Indian visitors annually, marking the highest number from any country post-Covid. However, despite India’s historical prominence, its contribution has recently slipped to the fifth position. Until 28 January this year, Maldives received a total of over 174,000 tourists, with only 13,989 hailing from India.
The current rankings are led by Russia, with 18,561 tourists, followed by Italy (18,111), China (16,529), and the UK (14,588). Germany occupies the sixth position, followed by the USA, France, Poland, and Switzerland. In 2023, Maldives saw a total of over 1,700,000 tourists, with Indians comprising the largest group (2,09,198), followed by Russians (209,146) and Chinese (187,118). The trend continued with over 240,000 Indian visitors in 2022 and more than 211,000 in 2021.
