Rising tension between India and the Maldives is spilling out into beach vacation plans

A growing diplomatic rift between India and its closest neighbor, the Maldives, could change how Indian beach lovers travel in 2024. When Indian prime minister Narendra Modi recently —the archipelago of 36 islands that’s his country’s smallest union territory—as an alternative to the Maldives, a handful of Maldivian ministers , making “anti India” comments about uncleanliness, smelly rooms, and open defecation.

“#BoycottMaldives” quickly gained traction on social media, with Indian tourists posting about to the island nation. Today (Jan. 8), an Indian travel website removed the option to book trips to the Maldives. “In support of our nation, @EaseMyTrip has suspended all Maldives flight bookings,” co founder and CEO Nishant Pitti .

EaseMyTrip’s decision isn’t wide reaching, given that the platform captures . But it could have a ripple effect. Already, there are leader MakeMyTrip, which commands more than half of the market, and others to follow suit. Indians—the largest source of tourists to the Maldives—who visited the cluster of thousand plus islands, located southwest of Sri Lanka and India, in 2022.

The Maldives welcomed nearly 1.8 million visitors that year. As tensions built between the two countries, a host of Bollywood celebrities— , , , —promoted Lakshadweep. Cricketers like and also came out to bat for the cause. “Water & beaches of Lakshadweep are as good as Maldives/Seychelles, EaseMyTrip CEO Pitti , along with a photo of Modi relaxing on the coast of Lakshadweep.

Pitti added that the booking site will “come up with crazy special offers” to promote the Indian island where the prime minister was seen walking on white sand and snorkelling. All of this attention has made “Lakshadweep” a . But is the region ready to handle an influx of tourists? Last year, Lakshadweep welcomed and around .

Its islands cover a total area of 32 square kilometers. The Maldives is almost 10 times bigger, at . Quotable: Lakshadweep’s tourism potential One more thing: Is the Maldives government becoming pro China? Yesterday, the Maldives for making derogatory remarks about India, saying their views are “personal” and not representative of the government’s.

But those oustings aren’t an image fixer because the comments seem aligned with new president Mohamed Muizzu’s ideology. When Muizzu won the election in November, he pledged to , promising to . Today, Muizzu begins his first bilateral visit to since taking office. (He on the sidelines of the COP28 climate change conference in Dubai last month.) This apparent coziness with Beijing could .

Several former Maldivian leaders the deteriorating relations with India. The possible loss of Indian tourism is a key reason for salvaging relations—but it’s not the only one. India has been a strategic ally that has helped the island nation in multiple ways, from in the late 1980s to in the early 2000s to giving financial assistance during the two years ago.

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