A diplomatic rift has emerged between India and the Maldives after Maldivian ministers made derogatory comments about the Indian Prime Minister’s Lakshadweep visit.

Real Research, an online survey app, revealed that 55.73% were completely aware of the growing diplomatic rift between India and the Maldives, 30.82% were vaguely aware, and 13.45% were completely unaware.

Highlights

  • 65.32% believe the surge in online interest will attract international tourists to explore the archipelago.
  • 57.93% think the ongoing diplomatic rift between India and the Maldives has the potential to impact the economic stability of the country.
  • A major Indian travel platform’s suspension of flight bookings to the Maldives will likely influence other platforms, said 55% of respondents.

Diplomatic Rift Between India and Maldives

The “#BoycottMaldives” hashtag rapidly gained popularity on social media as Indian tourists shared their intentions to cancel previously booked trips to the Maldives. 52.30% think this was somewhat justified, and 24.75% think it was highly justified. On the contrary, 18.48% think it was somewhat unjustified, and 4.47% think it was highly unjustified.

trips to the Maldives
Figure 1: Is the decision of Indian tourists intending to cancel trips to the Maldives justified?

India–Maldives relations

Bollywood and Indian sports stars are boosting Lakshadweep as India’s top beach destination, inspired by PM Narendra Modi’s push for tourism. 49.78% think this controversy will ‘absolutely’ result in a dip in international tourism in the Maldives. 40% of the respondents think it will probably result in a dip, and 7.9% think it probably won’t.

Suspension of Flights

One of India’s largest travel platforms suspended flight bookings to the tourism-dependent Maldives. 55% think this move by the travel platform will probably create a ripple effect on other travel platforms, and 21.72% think it definitely will. 19.03% think the move probably won’t create a ripple effect on other travel platforms, and 4.45% think it will definitely not.

Potential Impact on Economic Stability

According to the World Bank, tourism accounts for almost one-third of the Maldives economy. 57.93% think the ongoing diplomatic rift between India and the Maldives has the potential to impact the economic stability of the country. 28.98% think it will have a significant impact on economic stability, and 13.08% think there will be no impact at all.

diplomatic rift on the economic stability of the country
Figure 2: The level of impact of the diplomatic rift on the economic stability of the country

Survey on the Diplomatic Rift Between India and Maldives

The global search interest in Lakshadweep has soared to its highest level in two decades following PM Modi’s visit to the archipelago. 52.05% find it somewhat likely that Lakshadweep will potentially become a prominent travel destination for Indians. 39.27% find it highly likely, 6.55% find it somewhat unlikely, and 2.13% find it highly unlikely.

surge in online interest
Figure 3: If a surge in online interest will attract international tourists to explore the archipelago

Finally, Lakshadweep, India’s smallest union territory located north of the Maldives, recently became a top-trending Google keyword with over 100K daily searches. A survey on the diplomatic rift between India and the Maldives revealed that 65.32% believe this surge in online interest will attract international tourists to explore the archipelago.

Methodology

Survey TitleSurvey on Diplomatic Rift Between India and Maldives
DurationJanuary 19 – January 26, 2024
Number of Participants6,000
DemographicsMales and females, aged 21 to 99
Participating Countries Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia,… Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, China (Hong Kong) China (Macao), China (Taiwan), Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greanada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Maldives, Maluritania, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar [Burma], Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.