India Now At 5th Spot In Maldives Tourism Rankings; It Was At 1st Position In 2023
India's prominence in the Maldives tourism landscape took a notable downturn, slipping from the top spot to fifth, according to recent data released by the Maldives Ministry of Tourism. Meanwhile, China maintained its position at third place, signaling a dynamic shift in the top 10 tourism markets of the Maldives.
China surpassed India in tourist arrivals in Maldives
Analysis of the data unveiled a significant development: China surpassed India in tourist arrivals around January 21, marking a pivotal moment in the 'Top 10 Markets 2024' chart. Prior to this shift, China had trailed behind India in the rankings.
As of December 31 the previous year, India had held the coveted top position, with 209,198 arrivals, representing nearly 11% of the Maldives' tourism market for that year.
India-Maldives row
However, a series of events precipitated a sharp decline in Indian tourist numbers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Lakshadweep on January 2, coupled with a diplomatic rift with the Maldives, triggered this decline.
The situation escalated when a Maldives minister accused India of targeting the nation, asserting India's challenges in competing with the Maldives in beach tourism. Diplomatic tensions between the two countries have been mounting, particularly since President Mohamed Muizzu took office in November the previous year, signaling a shift in foreign policy towards closer ties with China, departing from the previous "India first" approach.
The swift decline in India's position within the Maldives' tourism market over just a month, from December 31 to January 29, underscores the evolving dynamics in the region. Conversely, while China's position among the top 10 countries fluctuated over the same period, it maintained its steadfast third-place ranking by the end of January. At the forefront of the rankings stood Russia and Italy, occupying the first and second positions respectively.
Maldives Tourism Rankings
According to the official Maldivian government data, this is how countries rank in terms of arrivals in the archipelago.
1) Russia: 18,561 arrivals (10.6% market share, Rank 2 in 2023)
2) Italy: 18,111 arrivals (10.4% market share, Rank 6 in 2023)
3) China: 16,529 arrivals (9.5% market share, Rank 3 in 2023)
4) UK: 14,588 arrivals (8.4% market share, Rank 4 in 2023)
5) India: 13,989 arrivals (8.0% market share, Rank 1 in 2023)
6) Germany: 10,652 arrivals (6.1% market share)
7) USA: 6,299 arrivals (3.6% market share, Rank 7 in 2023)
8) France: 6,168 arrivals (3.5% market share, Rank 8 in 2023)
9) Poland: 5,109 arrivals (2.9% market share, Rank 14 in 2023)
10) Switzerland: 3,330 arrivals (1.9% market share, Rank 10 in 2023)
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