Maldives row: Travel demand takes a hit as Indians cancel trips to island nation

Maldives, a travel hot spot for Indians, is facing backlash after a minister of the island nation made derogatory comments against Prime Minister Modi which has led to many Indian travellers cancelling their trip to the overseas destination.

Online travel aggregator (OTA) EaseMyTrip has halted flight bookings to the island nation.

Prashant Pitti, Co-Founder, EaseMyTrip said that every year 3 lakh people visit Maldives from India.

He said that they urge airlines to work on direct connectivity to Lakshadweep from Delhi, Mumbai, and other cities to promote tourism there.

Many Indians who already had made bookings to Maldives took to social media to announce cancellation of their travel plans to Maldives and posted pictures of cancelled flights and hotel reservations.