Why Are Chinese Tourists in Record Numbers In Maldives?

The number of Chinese tourists in Maldives increased to a record number last February despite a massive campaign by neighboring Indians to boycott the island nation. 

According to the Ministry of Tourism of Maldives, a total of 2 lakh 17 thousand 394 tourists have come to the country till February 27. Among them, 34 thousand 646 tourists came from China alone.

This rate is 10.70 percent higher than in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic. In February of that year, 31 thousand 285 tourists came to Maldives from China.

Diplomatic tension between India and Maldives 

Far from the headline-grabbing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, in a corner of the Arabian Sea, a strange diplomatic conflict has been playing out between India and the Maldives for last several months. 

India and the Maldives are unlikely adversaries. Spanning over 1.2 million square miles, India is 11,000 times bigger than the 115-square-mile Maldives. India’s population of more than 1.4 billion dwarfs the Maldives’ 5 lac.

Moreover, the Maldives has depended on India, its nearest neighbor, for support through all manner of crises. When Sri Lankan mercenaries attempted a coup in the Maldives in 1988, Indian paratroopers parachuted in to put it down. 

When a tsunami destroyed the archipelago in 2004, Indian ships and aid workers came to the rescue. And when the Maldives’ only water-desalination plant broke down in 2014, India sent planes and Navy tankers filled with potable water.

This consistent support reflects the depth of bilateral ties. India was one of the first countries to recognize the Maldives’ sovereignty after it gained independence from British rule in 1965, and the two countries have since built a multifaceted relationship that spans strategic, economic, and cultural domains.

Given the shared maritime border, India’s role in maintaining security in the Indian Ocean region is vital to the Maldives. 

Both countries are founding members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and signatories to the South Asia Free Trade Agreement. And India has been a key economic partner for the Maldives, delivering extensive aid, assisting in development initiatives, and pursuing trade agreements.

Considering the ethnic, linguistic, cultural, and religious connections that date back centuries, one might expect there to be a deep reservoir of goodwill and understanding between India and the Maldives. 

But when it comes to geopolitics, gratitude is less potent than resentment. According to the analysts, the Maldives suffers from the classic smaller-neighbor problem. 

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu won a big victory in last September’s election on blistering anti-India rhetoric. And after taking office, he has made amply clear that "India Out" was not just a mere campaign slogan. 

He is the first Maldivian president who did not go to India on his first official foreign trip. Instead He went Turkey to meet it's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan followed by India's arch rival China. 

Modi visits Lakshadweep to promote it's tourism

On January 2, Indian Prime Minister Norendra Modi visited Lakshadweep, a scenic islands Indian ocean aiming to boost it's tourism. During the visit, he highlighted the potential of Lakshadweep, describing it as "full of many possibilities". 

Even then the Indian social media influencers were tasked with promoting tourism in the Lakshadweep. But to do that several influencers made their case by calling for a boycott of the Maldives.

In response, three of Muizzu’s deputy ministers used insulting language, from “clown” to “terrorist,” to describe Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Indian social-media users then were furious, and the war of words that followed soon spiraled out of control.

President Muizzu in China 

And when the situation was hot, President Muizzu went to China on January 11. During his visit to China, he urged Chinese tourists to come to his country. 

He said, "China was our number 1 market in tourism before the Covid pandemic. We will take the utmost initiative so that China's position comes back again."

China was Maldives' top tourist market in 2017 and 2018 before the Corona pandemic. In 2019, more than 280,000 Chinese tourists visited the Maldives.

China gave a positive response to the call of President Muizzu and took necessary steps to fill in the tourists gap in his country, Maldives. Chinese airlines were allowed to increase flights to the island nation. 

After various Chinese airlines, including Xiamen and Sichuan Airlines, launched flights to the Maldives, the number of tourists from China to the country increased significantly.

China is now the first among the top 10 countries in the tourism market of Maldives. In the first 2 months of this year, 55 thousand 87 tourists went to the country.

On the other side, India have now dropped to the top six on their trip to the Maldives. Although the country became the island state's top source of tourists when it opened up its tourism amid the Covid pandemic.