New Delhi, India

Maldives' prominent tourism body “Maldives Association of Tour and Travel Operators” (MATATO), amid a diplomatic row over tourism between India and the Maldives, appealed to India-based travel aggregator EaseMyTrip to restart flight bookings for the island nation on its platform.

The tension between the two countries escalated after three ministers posted hate comments over Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Lakshadweep.

The MATATO on Tuesday (Jan 9) appealed EaseMyTrip to disregard the "regrettable" comments, and stated that they "did not reflect sentiments of Maldivians in general".

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The statement by the body, which was addressed to EaseMyTrip CEO Nishant Pitti, emphasised the importance of Indian tourists, who have been the highest in numbers to have visited the country post-Covid, giving a major boost to the Maldivian economy.

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Also read: Explained | Why was Maldives triggered by Indian PM Modi snorkelling in Lakshadweep?

"In expressing our heartfelt gratitude for the enduring friendship and partnership that defines the relationship between the Maldives and India, we want you to know the bonds connecting our nations transcend politics. We consider our Indian counterparts... as cherished brothers and sisters,” said MATATO, in a statement.

"Tourism stands as the lifeblood of the Maldives, contributing over two-thirds of our GDP and providing livelihoods to approximately 44,000 Maldivians who work in the sector. The potential adverse impact on tourism holds the power to unleash severe repercussions on our economy,” it added.

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MATATO said that the Indian tourists are "an indispensable force in the success of the Maldivian tourism sector, providing vital support to guest houses and small to medium-sized enterprises..."

More than two lakh Indians holidayed in Maldives last year: ministry

As per the data collected by the Maldives Tourism Ministry, more than two lakh Indians went to Maldives last year, and more than 4.5 lakh travelled to the islands in the last two years. The Maldives also emerged as one of the few countries which remained open for tourists even at the time of the pandemic and almost 63,000 Indians visited the place even at that time.

Watch: India-Maldives comment row: Maldives faces heat over anti-India comments 

MATATO also appealed to everyone to "refrain from contributing to divisiveness through hateful comments". The statement by MATATO came after the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) slammed the "derogatory comments" made against PM Modi.

Reacting to the remarks, EaseMyTrip had earlier taken a significant step and decided to suspend all Maldives flight bookings. Indian online travel company EaseMyTrip's co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Nishant Pitti, standing in support of India, took to social media platform X and said, “In solidarity with our nation, @EaseMyTrip has suspended all Maldives flight bookings.”

(With inputs from agencies)