Hailed for his foresight by many world leaders of his ilk, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi means business. Hardly any of his gestures go without a purpose.
Naturally, his visit to the union territory of Lakshadweep at the beginning of the first month of New Year 2023 grabbed eyeballs. The 36-island archipelago, known for its mesmerising beauty and pristine environment, is being projected as a better holiday destination than the neighbouring country the Maldives.
As a country head and proponent of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ or self-sufficient India, PM Modi is taking the lead in branding Lakshadweep.
His trip was, however, frowned upon by three ministers of the Maldives, which is ruled by Mohamed Muizzu, considered close to China and he even ran the electoral campaign on the line of ‘India Out’.
Days later, Modi’s act paid dividends. The celebrities from the Indian film industry started visit Lakshadweep campaign under a hastag ExploreIndianIslands. Taking to X, actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra wrote, “Lakshadweep’s unparalleled beauty has earned a top spot on my Travel List! Crystal-clear waters and tranquil shores await, promising an unforgettable escape. #Lakshadweep #BucketList #ExploreIndianIslands #DekhoApnaDesh.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Modi also laid the foundation stone for development projects worth over Rs 1,150 crore in Agatti.
“Recently, I had the opportunity to be among the people of Lakshadweep,” Modi posted on X (formerly Twitter) following his visit. “I am still in awe of the stunning beauty of its islands and the incredible warmth of its people. I had the opportunity to interact with people in Agatti, Bangaram and Kavaratti. I thank the people of the islands for their hospitality.”
He said that “in addition to the scenic beauty, Lakshadweep’s tranquillity is also mesmerising”. “For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshadweep has to be on your list,” the Prime Minister stated in a thread on X. “During my stay, I also tried snorkelling – what an exhilarating experience it was! And those early morning walks along the pristine beaches were also moments of pure bliss.”
India’s smallest union territory Lakshadweep is an archipelago consisting of 36 islands with an area of 32 sq km. It is a uni-district union territory and comprises 12 atolls, three reefs, five submerged banks and 10 inhabited islands. The islands have a total area of 32 sq km. The capital is Kavaratti and it is also the principal town of the union territory. All islands are 220 to 440 km away from the coastal city of Kochi in Kerala, in the Arabian Sea. The natural landscapes, the sandy beaches, the abundance of flora and fauna and the absence of a rushed lifestyle make Lakshadweep an attractive holiday destination. And a rival to the Indian Ocean archipelago nation of the Maldives!
“Lakshwadeep is our Maldives…sad that previous regimes have failed to develop any sort of tourism here…,” one user posted on X following Modi’s comments. Another user posted: “Sir, what a leader you are. You don’t just visit places in India, you give them development and promote that place’s beauty through your pictures and tweets. Your pictures have inspired me to visit Lakshadweep soon and get an experience of these beautiful beaches.”
However, Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep is also being seen by observers as a geopolitical move to counter China’s influence in the south Indian Ocean. The visit comes at a time when the Maldives’ new President Mohamed Muizzu has taken a pronounced anti-India and pro-China stance in his foreign policy. “India signals it doesn’t need Maldives,” Derek Grossman, a senior defence analyst at the American think tank RAND Corporation focused on a range of national security policy and Indo-Pacific security issues, posted on X.
Not surprisingly, Modi’s promotion of tourism in Lakshadweep has been met with bitter reactions from a section of the Maldivian government and politicians. In a post on X that has now been deleted, Mariyam Shiuna, Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts, recently made insulting remarks against Modi.
In a particularly racist remark against Indians, Zahid Rameez, a Council member of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives, posted on X: “The move (Modi’s promotion of Lakshadweep tourism) is great. However, the idea of competing with us is delusional. How can they provide the service we offer? How can they be so clean? The permanent smell in the rooms will be the biggest downfall.”
These comments came despite Modi not mentioning the Maldives, or for that matter, any other country, in his posts on Lakshadweep. However, the fact of the matter is that the Maldives’ economy is heavily dependent on tourism and the highest number of tourists comprises Indians. According to a report from the Maldivian tourism ministry in December 2023, India has reclaimed its position as the leading source of tourists to the Maldives, surpassing Russia.
“According to the Tourism Ministry, 2,05,278 tourists have arrived in the Maldives from India so far this year. This is 11.2 per cent of the total tourist arrivals this year,” news website avas.mv reported. “India was the market leader in June this year, overtaking Russia. However, in July, Russia regained the top spot, which India has now reclaimed. The Maldives has received 2,03,539 tourists so far this year from Russia.”
So, can India use tourism as a diplomatic tool to counter the Maldives leadership’s pro-China stance? Can the Maldives afford to lose out on Indian tourists? Can Lakshadweep draw away tourists from the Maldives? Countries can use tourism as a negative diplomatic tool. Countries may impose restrictions on tourism to express displeasure or protest against the policies of another nation. This can serve as a form of economic pressure and negatively impact the tourism industry of the targeted country.
Governments can issue travel advisories, cautioning their citizens against visiting certain countries due to political reasons. This can harm the tourism industry of the targeted nation by deterring potential visitors. A country might also use the promise of increased tourism or the threat of reducing it as leverage in diplomatic negotiations. For example, a nation could offer to boost tourism to a struggling economy in exchange for political concessions.
One cannot speculate as of now whether India intends to use tourism as a diplomatic tool against the Maldives. But, one thing is for sure. Maldives tourism gets a lot of free publicity through pictures posted by Indian celebrities of their vacations in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation on social media. Now, it needs to be seen whether they will opt for Lakshadweep instead of the Maldives following Modi’s promotion.
As of now, Lakshadweep lags behind the Maldives in terms of tourism infrastructure. However, a year ago, the Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), India’s largest hospitality company, announced the signing of two Taj-branded resorts on the islands of Suheli and Kadmat in Lakshadweep. The greenfield projects are slated to open in 2026. The Taj at Suheli will have 110 rooms, including 60 villas on the beach and 50 water villas. Featuring 110 rooms, the Taj Hotel at Kadmat will comprise 75 beach villas and 35 water villas.
Another example of India countering China’s influence by using tourism as a diplomatic tool in the south Indian Ocean is the taking over of the operations of an airport in Sri Lanka that is described as the world’s loneliest airport. Media reports suggest that Russia has expressed its keenness to get into a joint venture with India involving private entities to run the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) in southern Sri Lanka. Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Levan S Dzhagaryan has signalled his country’s interest in a joint venture with India to operate MRIA.
He highlighted the high number of Russian tourists visiting Sri Lanka, citing it as a key factor in their interest in Mattala airport’s potential. In this connection, he mentioned Russia’s position as Sri Lanka’s second-largest source of tourists, after India, with expectations of up to 1.2 million Russian visitors in 2024.
The MRIA is located in the town of Mattala, 18 km from Hambantota port, which was handed over to China by Sri Lanka on a 99-year lease. It is the first greenfield airport and the third international airport in the country, after Ratmalana International Airport and Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo. The airport was opened in March 2013 by then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who ordered its construction. Initially, several airlines flew to the airport, including Sri Lankan Airlines, which established a hub. However, due to low demand, almost all of these airlines left Mattala by 2018.
So, why is India interested in getting into a private joint venture with Russia to take over the operations of MRIA? According to an expert on Sri Lankan issues, who spoke on condition of anonymity to ETV Bharat, India might be considering strategic interests because of the Chinese presence in Hambantota port.
“India has been expressing interest in acquiring MRIA since 2015-16,” the expert said. “This airport is largely being used to store grain. India’s interest might be due to strategic considerations in the face of China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean.” Meanwhile, in what is the latest manifestation of his pro-China and anti-India stance, Maldives President Muizzu will be departing for China on Sunday evening for nearly a week-long visit. This is a break from the practice followed by his three immediate democratically elected predecessors–Ibrahim Solih, Abdulla Yameen and Mohamed Nasheed–who had made India the destination of their first state visit after assuming office. In fact, after taking charge in November last year, Muizzu made Turkey the destination of his first state visit.
Muizzu had won last year’s presidential election on a pronounced anti-India plank. He ran an ‘India Out’ campaign in which he called for the withdrawal of some Indian military personnel present in his country. These personnel are primarily involved in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief work in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation. However, after assuming office, Muizzu made a formal request to India to withdraw these personnel.
Last month, the Maldives decided not to renew a hydrography agreement with India citing national security concerns and the safeguarding of sensitive information. The hydrographic survey agreement was signed on June 8, 2019, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Maldives. Under the agreement, India was allowed to conduct a comprehensive study of the island nation’s territorial waters, which includes reefs, lagoons, coastlines, ocean currents, and tide levels.
And then again, last week, ahead of the announcement of Muizzu’s visit to China, the Maldives decided to allow a Chinese vessel to enter its territorial waters ostensibly to do research work. This decision came despite pressure from the Indian government and concerns raised by various quarters about the vessel being a “spy vessel”. India has strongly been protesting the repeated visits by Chinese vessels to the waters of the south Indian Ocean, a region New Delhi considers to be under its sphere of influence.
As part of New Delhi’s Neighbourhood First Policy, the Maldives is strategically significant to India because of its location in the Indian Ocean. India and the Maldives share ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious and commercial links steeped in antiquity and enjoy close, cordial and multi-dimensional relations. However, regime instability in the Maldives since 2008 has posed significant challenges to the India-Maldives relationship, particularly in the political and strategic spheres.
Although India continues to be an important partner of the Maldives, New Delhi cannot afford to be complacent over its position and must remain attentive to the developments in the Maldives. India must play a key role within the Indo-Pacific security space to ensure regional security in South Asia and surrounding maritime boundaries. China’s strategic footprint in India’s neighbourhood has increased. The Maldives has emerged as an important ‘pearl’ in China’s ‘String of Pearls’ construct in South Asia.
Now, with Modi promoting Lakshadweep as a tourism destination, which many believe can rival the Maldives, it remains to be seen whether Male will have a rethink vis-à-vis its virulent anti-India and pro-China foreign policy.