The decision by leading Indian travel portal, EaseMyTrip, to suspend all Maldives flight bookings with immediate effect in response to the unprovoked and hateful remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi made by senior politicians of the ruling party in Maldives, will set the cat among the pigeons in an island nation that depends almost entirely on tourism for its survival.

In a tweet, EaseMyTrip’s CEO Nishant Pitti, made it clear the decision was taken “in solidarity with our nation”.

In solidarity with our nation, @EaseMyTrip has suspended all Maldives flight bookings ✈️ #TravelUpdate #SupportingNation #LakshadweepTourism #ExploreIndianlslands #Lakshadweep#ExploreIndianIslands @kishanreddybjp @JM_Scindia @PMOIndia @tourismgoi @narendramodi @incredibleindia https://t.co/wIyWGzyAZY

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— Nishant Pitti (@nishantpitti) January 7, 2024

India sends the most tourists to Maldives, more than 2 million of the 17 million who visit the country. Just as important, India is the embarkation point for tourists of many other nationalities who travel to the Maldives from Indian airports.

Co-founder of #EaseMyTrip, Prashant Pitti says, “Our company has recently taken the decision to not accept bookings for #Maldives….”
Recently, EaseMyTrip suspended all Maldives flight bookings after rowing over anti-#PM Modi posts.#Maldives #Lakshadweep #IndiaSupportEaseMyTrip… pic.twitter.com/kzGGWAraV1

— The Statesman (@TheStatesmanLtd) January 8, 2024

While other travel portals have not responded, nor have airlines that operate services from India to Maldives, already and in response to Mr Pitti’s announcement, many thousand Indians have cancelled their travel plans to the Indian Ocean country, which after a change in regime last year, has adopted a pronounced anti-India and pro-China foreign policy.

Tourism directly contributes about a third of Maldives’ GDP; indirectly, according to some estimates, the figure may be much higher. According to US Department of State statistics, tourism contributes 60 per cent of the country’s forex earnings.

The controversy broke out after Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the “stunning beauty” of Lakshwadeep islands in southern India, which he had visited last week. Senior members of Maldives’ ruling coalition reacted to these remarks, which had nothing to do with the Indian Ocean country, by using unacceptable language about Mr Modi. This unleashed a storm of protest from several Indians, including film star Akshay Kumar and others.

A tweet by a #Maldives minister(now deleted) days after PM #NarendraModi‘s visit to the #Lakshadweep archipelago has triggered a row on #socialmedia. In his tweet, the minister accused India of targeting Maldives and said India faces significant challenges in competing with the… pic.twitter.com/ZZ8VLz8uKb

— The Statesman (@TheStatesmanLtd) January 7, 2024

But it was clearly Mr. Pitti’s direct response – suspending all flight booking to Maldives – that alerted the administration in Male to the storm its politicians had unleashed. While three senior Maldives politicians have been suspended for their offensive remarks about Mr Modi, it is clear that the waters remain choppy, with several thousand hotel bookings and air tickets having been cancelled.

As one of those who cancelled his travel plans told The Statesman on condition of anonymity: “I see no reason to travel to a country whose animosity towards Indians is so pronounced that a tweet by our PM praising his own country draws such a hateful response. Why must I spend my hard-earned money in sustaining the economy of such a country? I have many better options.”