Social Media Storm: Diplomatic Fallout Sparks #BoycottMaldives Trend

In a recent social media incident, Marius Shiuna, along with Malsha Shareef and Zahid Rameez, made derogatory comments about India's Prime Minister in a post on Twitter, which was swiftly taken down following a wave of backlash.

The Maldivian government swiftly condemned these remarks, issuing a press release and subsequently dismissing the offending ministers in response to public outrage. The fallout from this controversy has seen the cancellation of 10,500 hotel bookings and 5,520 flight tickets by Indian tourists.

Last year, Maldives welcomed a total of 209,198 tourists, with significant numbers arriving from Russia (209,146) and China (187,118). In solidarity, certain platforms have canceled bookings for the country as well.

The diplomatic fallout escalated when India summoned the High Commissioner of Maldives, Ibrahim Shaheeb, to the Ministry of External Affairs in South Block, Delhi. Social media was ablaze with hashtags such as #boycottmaldives and #lakshadweeptourism, indicating a widespread sentiment.

Lakshadweep, located a mere 754 km away from Maldives, gained sudden attention when Prime Minister Modi was spotted promoting tourism on its islands on January 4, 2024. Following this, 'Lakshadweep' became the most searched term on Google in India within minutes of the post.

This incident has sparked significant diplomatic tensions and public discourse between India and Maldives, drawing attention to the potential impact on tourism and bilateral relations.