India News
Despite Maldivian ministers being suspended for objectionable remarks on India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the impact on Maldivian tourism could be significant
According to Maldives Tourism Ministry, the highest number of tourists traveling to the island nation are from India.
According to data, till December 13, 2023, a total of 17,57,939 tourists from all over the world had arrived in Maldives, which is 12.6 per cent more than in 2022.
Tourists from India form the largest number of visitors to Maldives. The figure is 2,09,198. Russia comes second with 2,09,146 tourists followed by China (1,87,118)
Also visiting the Maldives were 1,55,730 tourists from the UK, 1,35,090 from Germany, 1,18,412 from Italy, 74,575 from US, 49,199 from France and 40,462 from Spain
Indian tourists benefited from the start of India-Maldives direct flights in 2018. 51,000 tourists travelled in the October-December quarter, 60,000 in 2019 and 1.5 lakh in 2021.
Even during the Covid pandemic, the movement of tourists between India and Maldives did not stop. Maldives welcomed tourists with the rules of Covid protocol.