In the midst of an escalating dispute between India and the Maldives, the hashtag #BoycottMaldives gained traction on social media as Indian tourists began canceling their scheduled vacations to the island nation. The travel agency firm EaseMyTrip has suspended all flight bookings to the Maldives on its website, while the Confederation of All India Traders has urged traders and exporters to refrain from conducting business dealings with the Maldives.
The Indian Association of Tour Operators predicts that the repercussions of recent events and the call for a boycott will become apparent within the next 20-25 days. Meanwhile, MakeMyTrip announced on Monday that it has observed a 3,400 per cent increase in on-platform searches for Lakshadweep ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the islands.
In a series of posts on the social media platform X, EaseMyTrip CEO Nishant Pitti said, “The water and beaches of Lakshadweep are as good as those in Maldives/Seychelles. We, at @EaseMyTrip, will come up with crasy special offers to promote this pristine destination that our PM @narendramodi has recently visited!”
The EaseMyTrip CEO also urged travellers “to discover the enchanting beauty of Ayodhya and the pristine allure of Lakshadweep” and encouraged them to “say no to Maldives bookings and explore the wonders of Ayodhya and Lakshadweep”.
Indian tourists constituted the highest number of visitors to the Maldives until December 2023, according to data from the country’s tourism ministry. Out of the total 17.57 lakh tourists who travelled to the island nation, India had the highest share in terms of the number of visitors at 2,09,198 lakh, followed by Russia (2,09,146) and China (1,87,118). The number was more than 2.4 lakh in 2022, while over 2.11 lakh Indians flew to the Maldives in 2021. The Maldives was also one of the few countries open for international tourists during the pandemic, and nearly 63,000 Indians visited the country in that period.
In 2018, India was the fifth-largest source of tourist arrivals in the Maldives, with 90,474 visitors. In 2019, India reached the second spot with nearly double the number (1,66,030).
The Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has urged all tour and flight operators to boycott the Maldives and redirect their focus to the Lakshadweep and Andaman Islands. Additionally, the ICC has called upon the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India and the Hotel Association of India to explore investment opportunities in the Lakshadweep Islands, promising better returns compared to the Maldives.
In another post on platform X, Pitti wrote: “Embark on a journey with @EaseMyTrip to discover the enchanting beauty of Ayodhya and the pristine allure of Lakshadweep! Immerse yourself in rich culture and breathtaking landscapes. Say no to Maldives bookings and explore the wonders of Ayodhya and Lakshadweep. Watch our video on the new website to ignite your wanderlust! #ExploreWithEase #Ayodhya #Lakshadweep”. “In solidarity with our nation, @EaseMyTrip has suspended all Maldives flight bookings.
The move comes close on the heels of the Maldives government suspending three of its ministers following a row over derogatory social media posts against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his visit to Lakshadweep.
Pitti said that every year 3 lakh people visit Maldives from India. Many Indians who already had made bookings to Maldives took to social media to announce cancellation of their travel plans to Maldives and posted pictures of cancelled flights and hotel reservations. Some unverified reports on Indian social media claimed that more than 8000-10,000 hotel bookings and 2,500-3000 flight tickets to the Maldives were cancelled. Tour operators in India are gearing up for an impact of calls for a cancellation of holidays in the Maldives as they said that there are “no new inquiries by people” for visits to the island nation. The Indian Association of Tour Operators predicts that the repercussions of recent events and the call for a boycott will become apparent within the next 20-25 days.
An Indian traveller who had made bookings to Maldives for travel between March 31 to April 2 posted a screenshot on X, showing that he has cancelled the trip. Singh also said that he is “atmanirbhar” with domestic destinations like Lakshwadeep.
Meanwhile Vistara has said it will monitor the demand for flights between the two countries as the “situation is evolving right now”. Vistara operates one flight each daily from Mumbai and Delhi to Male. Airline’s Chief Commercial Officer Deepak Rajawat said it has not cancelled anything as of now and will monitor the demand for flights. Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet also operate flights to the Maldives. There were no comments from the three airlines on the current situation.
Meanwhile, MakeMyTrip on Monday said it has observed a 3,400 per cent increase in on-platform searches for Lakshadweep ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the islands.
“We have observed a 3400 per cent increase in on-platform searches for Lakshadweep ever since the Honorable PM’s visit. This interest in Indian beaches has inspired us to launch a ‘Beaches of India’ campaign on the platform with offers and discounts to encourage Indian travellers to explore the country’s stunning beaches. Keep watching this space!,” MakeMyTrip said in a post on social media platform X.
A row erupted on social media last week when a minister and some other leaders in the Maldives used derogatory remarks against PM Modi after he posted a video of him on a beach in Lakshadweep.
The post by Mariyam Shiuna – which has now been deleted – featured the pictures of PM Modi from his recent visit to Lakshadweep. The Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts, referred to the Indian Prime Minister as a ‘clown’ and a ‘puppet of Israel’.
