A political row has erupted which could spell bad news for Maldives tourism.
A now deleted post on X by a Maldives minister has outraged Indians.
There is now a big movement to boycott Maldives holidays.
Mariyam Shiuna labelled India PM Narendra Mohdi ‘a clown’ after the PM visited the Lakshadweep islands to boost tourism there.
Lakshadweep is being promoted as a domestic alternative to the Maldives.
India is the top source market.
There has been a wave of social media chatter from Indians saying there are cancelling their Maldives holidays.
Also, several Maldives government websites went down, including the tourism ministry site.
Officials blamed it on a technical glitch although media outlets have speculated a cyberattack is possible.
