Sri Lanka receives 250% more Indian visitors than the Maldives

Monday, February 5, 2024

Sri Lanka outpaces Maldives in tourist arrivals in Jan 2024, with Indian travelers’ preference shifting, marking a 250% surge.

Following a diplomatic spat between India and the Maldives, it seems that a significant number of Indian travelers are now opting for Sri Lanka as their preferred destination. This shift in travel preference has led to Sri Lanka welcoming a greater number of tourists than the Maldives in January 2024. According to a report by the Male-based news outlet Adhadhu, Sri Lanka has managed to outpace the Maldives in terms of tourist arrivals for the first time in four years during January, with Sri Lanka hosting 208,253 tourists compared to the Maldives’ 192,385 – marking an increase of over 100,000 from the previous January.

The friction between Male and New Delhi erupted following critical remarks made by some officials from the Maldives regarding Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, prompting a swift and decisive response from Indian tourists who initiated a ‘boycott Maldives’ movement.

Adhadhu highlighted that a significant rise in the number of Indian visitors to Sri Lanka was a key factor contributing to the doubling of tourist arrivals to the island in January. Specifically, the number of Indian visitors to Sri Lanka leaped 2.5 times from 13,759 last January to 34,399 this January. Meanwhile, the Maldives saw a decrease in Indian tourist numbers from 17,029 last January to 15,006 this year.

India also became the primary source of tourists for Sri Lanka in January, showcasing a notable change in travel dynamics.

On the other hand, the Maldives has seen a reduction in Indian tourists, who had previously been the most frequent visitors to the country. Indian tourists, who once led the visitor statistics for the Maldives, fell to the fifth position in the last three weeks of January, as per the analysis by PTI.

Historically, over 200,000 Indians visited the Maldives each year over the past three years, representing the highest number from any single country post-Covid. Despite this, India’s ranking dropped to fifth in terms of tourist contributions to the Maldives. Up until January 28 this year, the Maldives welcomed over 174,000 tourists, with only 13,989 being from India.

The top spot for tourist arrivals to the Maldives was claimed by Russia, with 18,561 visitors, followed closely by Italy, China, and the UK. The list continued with Germany, the USA, France, Poland, and Switzerland. The Maldives attracted over 1.7 million tourists in 2023, with Indians, Russians, and Chinese making up the largest groups. The influx of Indian tourists to the Maldives surpassed 240,000 in 2022 and was over 211,000 in 2021.

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