Indian tourists: Enmity with India is costing Maldives dearly, due to Indian tourists, Sri Lanka has now left Maldives far behind. After 4 years, Sri Lanka has now overtaken Maldives in terms of foreign tourists. According to the latest data, the highest number of Indian tourists remained in Sri Lanka, Indian tourists have now started staying away from Maldives.
According to a media report in Maldives, the beaches of Sri Lanka are now proving to be a suitable place for Indian tourists. According to the data of the month of January, while 1 lakh 92 thousand tourists arrived in Maldives, 2 lakh 8 thousand tourists arrived in Sri Lanka. According to Sri Lanka Tourism data, the number of tourists coming from India increased by 100 percent in the month of January. The number of Indian tourists in Sri Lanka increased from 13 thousand 759 to 34,399. If year 2023 Talking about, 17 thousand 29 Indian tourists had reached Maldives in the month of January, whereas in January 2024 only 15 thousand 6 tourists reached Maldives.
Tourist figures changed in this way
In January 2024, 34,399 tourists from India, 31,159 from Russia, 16,665 from Britain, 13,593 from Germany and 11,511 tourists from China reached Sri Lanka. Talking about Maldives tourist market, in January Russia stood first, China second, Italy third, Britain fourth and India fifth. Let us tell you that after the visit to Lakshadweep, the PM while sharing the photo had appealed to the Indians to come to Lakshadweep. During this, PM Modi had said that now Lakshadweep has become like Maldives. After this, a dispute regarding tourism started between Maldives and India. According to the report, last year a total of 14 lakh 87 thousand tourists had arrived in Sri Lanka, while a total of 18 lakh 78 thousand tourists had arrived in Maldives, but after the controversy, the figures have now changed.
According to a report, recently Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar had also appealed to Indian tourists to visit Sri Lanka. Indians also used the hashtag “Maldives Boycott” on social media after Maldivian ministers made indecent remarks against PM Modi. Many Indian players and film stars also participated in this campaign.
Maldives earns a lot from tourism – report
After the boycott by Indians, Maldivian President Mohammed Muizzu traveled to China and after returning from there to Maldives, he spewed venom against India. According to a report, Muizzu had also requested the Chinese government to send Chinese tourists to Maldives. Let us tell you that tourism has a big contribution in the economy of Maldives. Maldives tourism has suffered a major setback after India’s boycott.
