Maldives Tourism industry ‘strongly condemns’ derogatory comments by its Ministers towards PM Modi

Facing a backlash following the diplomatic row between India and the Maldives, the island nation’s top tourism body has strongly condemned the derogatory comments made by some Deputy Ministers of the country against India and Prime Minister Modi after he visited Lakshadweep.

Facing a backlash following the diplomatic row between India and the Maldives, the island nation's top tourism body has strongly condemned the derogatory comments made by some Deputy Ministers of the country against India and Prime Minister Modi after he visited Lakshadweep.

“The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) 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,” MATI said in a statement in Male on Monday.

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

“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,” it said.

Calling India “one of the closest neighbours and allies,” the MATI statement said, “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.”

According to the Maldives Tourism Ministry statistics, over 17 lakh tourists visited the island nation in 2023, out of which more than 2,09,198 visitors were Indians followed by Russians (2,09,146) and China (1,87,118).