Dealing with a backlash following the diplomatic row between India and the Maldives, the island nation’s prime tourism physique has strongly condemned the derogatory feedback made by some Deputy Ministers of the nation towards India and Prime Minister Modi after he visited Lakshadweep.

“The Maldives Affiliation of Tourism Business (MATI) strongly condemns the derogatory feedback made by some Deputy Ministers on social media platforms, directed in direction of the Prime Minister of India, His Excellency Narendra Modi in addition to the individuals of India,” MATI stated in a press release in Male on Monday.

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The condemnation comes two days after a full-blown backlash directed on the Maldives following the derogatory remarks towards India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media by three Deputy Ministers on the Maldives Youth Ministry after he posted photographs and video on X after he visited the pristine Lakshadweep Islands on India’s west coast on Saturday.

“India has additionally been a constant and vital contributor to the Tourism Business of the Maldives. A contributor that has vastly assisted our restoration efforts throughout COVID-19, proper after we re-opened our borders, since then, India has continued to stay as one of many prime markets for the Maldives,” it stated.

Calling India “one of many closest neighbours and allies,” the MATI assertion stated, “India has at all times been a primary responder to varied crises all through our historical past and we’re immensely grateful to the shut relationship that the Authorities in addition to individuals of India have maintained with us.”

In keeping with the Maldives Tourism Ministry statistics, over 17 lakh vacationers visited the island nation in 2023, out of which greater than 2,09,198 guests have been Indians adopted by Russians (2,09,146) and China (1,87,118).

The variety of Indian guests was greater than 2.4 lakh in 2022 whereas over 2.11 lakh Indians flew to the Maldives in 2021. The Maldives was additionally one of many few nations open for worldwide vacationers in the course of the pandemic and almost 63,000 Indians visited that nation throughout that interval.

Quickly after the remarks towards Mr. Modi went viral, lots of of social media customers, together with celebrities, protested with calls to boycott tourism in Maldives and as a substitute discover home locations. A number of social media customers and even some journey corporations claimed Indians are cancelling their scheduled journey to the Maldives following the diplomatic row.

Expressing honest want that the shut relationship between the 2 nations “endures for generations to come back,” the Affiliation hoped “and as such, we chorus from actions or speech which will have any damaging affect on our good relationship.”

Earlier, the Maldivian Authorities had on Sunday suspended the three Deputy Ministers, and adopted it up on Monday by informing India’s Excessive Commissioner Munu Muhawar that the derogatory remarks made by these three don’t characterize its views and reaffirmed Maldives’ continued help for its neighbour.

The assembly got here after India summoned the Maldivian envoy in New Delhi, Ibrahim Shaheeb, on Monday to the Exterior Affairs Ministry and conveyed sturdy concern over these derogatory remarks by the three Ministers.

By the way, regardless of all of the social media hype, a cruise liner from India arrived within the Maldives on Monday “with a considerable variety of vacationers,” marking the primary cruise liner go to this yr, state-run PSM Information reported.

The cruise liner originating from Kochi in Kerala accommodated round 2,000 vacationers and had beforehand made stops in Mumbai and Goa earlier than reaching the Maldives, it stated quoting Maldives Affiliation of Yacht Brokers (MAYA).