A viral social media campaign encouraging tourists to choose Lakshadweep over the Maldives gained traction following derogatory remarks made by Maldivian ministers against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The boycott trend surged online prompting numerous cancellations of trips to the Maldives.
Actress Rachana Narayanankutty recently endorsed Lakshadweep, sharing an image of Modi from the region and inviting people to consider it for their next travel destination. Joining the support, actor Unni Mukundan and actress Shweta Menon advocated for Lakshadweep tourism. Shweta expressed her preference for exploring Indian islands like Lakshadweep and Andaman over foreign countries.
This social media movement impacts the Maldives, heavily reliant on tourism, with India being its largest source of visitors. Out of 1.7 million foreign tourists last year, 250,000 were Indians. The tourism sector faces significant disruption as Indians escalate their boycott leading President Mohamad Muizzu to seek assistance from China. During his visit to China, Muizzu requested increased Chinese visitors to offset the setback in the tourism industry addressing a business forum in Fujian.