The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry or MATI has said it strongly condems the derogatory comments made by some deputy ministers on social media platforms against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, days after his visit to Lakshadweep.
The MATI said India has always been a “first responder” to crises throughout Maldives’s history.
“The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry strongly condemns the derogatory comments made by some Deputy Ministers on social media platforms, directed towards the Prime Minister of India, His Excellency Narendra Modi as well as the people of India. India is one of our closest neighbours and allies. India has always been a first responder to various crises throughout our history and we are immensely grateful to the close relationship that the Government as well as people of India have maintained with us,” said MATI in a statement on Monday.
It also said India has also been a consistent and significant contributor to the tourism industry of the Maldives. “A contributor that has greatly assisted our recovery efforts during COVID-19, right after we re-opened our borders. Since then, India has continued to remain as one of the top markets for the Maldives,” the tourism industry said.
“It is our sincere wish that the close relationship between our two nations endures for generations to come and as such, we refrain from actions or speech that may have any negative impact on our good relationship,” it added.
The statement comes even as EaseMyTrip, one of India’s biggest online travel platforms, suspended flight bookings to the Maldives, amid a diplomatic row.
“Our company is entirely homegrown and made in India,” Prashant Pitti, co-founder of EaseMyTrip, wrote on X, (formerly Twitter). “We have decided that we will not accept any bookings for Maldives.”
Another travel booking platform, MakeMyTrip, said it had seen a 3,400 per cent rise in on-platform searches for Lakshadweep since the prime minister’s visit and would launch a new “Beaches of India” campaign for local travellers.
Pitti of EaseMyTrip wrote on X that he wanted Lakshadweep to become an international destination.
With Indians the biggest group of visitors to the Maldives, the spat threatens a key sector of the economy in the strategically important archipelago of over five lakh people that sits west of Sri Lanka. The fallout comes on the back of growing tensions between India and the Maldives since a new President Mohamed Muizzu came to power in September last year.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Monday called upon domestic traders and exporters to refrain from conducting business dealings with the Maldives.
CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said the derogatory comments targeting Modi have been deemed unacceptable by the business community, and this call to boycott aims to express solidarity and register disapproval against such disrespectful behaviour.
Maldives ministers suspended
Deputy ministers in the youth ministry Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid have been suspended over their posts against India. The Maldivian foreign ministry earlier said the government was aware of the “derogatory remarks” on social media platforms against foreign leaders and that the personal views do not represent its position.
