New Delhi: Tourists booking for the Lakshadweep and the Andaman Islands witnessed an uptick as compared to the past following the ongoing Maldives row, experts related to the tourism industry said on Tuesday. Notably, several actors, including Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan, promoted the coral reefs in the Laccadive Sea, off the coast of Kerala after Maldives politician Zahid Rameez criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the islands.
“I spoke to association members across the country and received information that tour operators of three states, Rajasthan, Delhi and Mumbai, received around 78,000 queries in a single day and already 3,700 bookings have been confirmed for January, February and March,” Deepak Choudhary, president, Worldwide Travel and Tourism Association told ETV Bharat while apprising of the drastic increase in bookings.
Commenting on the reach of the uptick, he said, “Some of the TV actors also booked tickets for these islands. Both air and sea routes are available to reach the islands of Kavaratti, Agatti, Amini, Kadmat, Kiltan, Chetlat, Bitra, Andrott, Kalpeni and Minicoy,” Choudhary added.
While speaking to ETV Bharat, Ravi Chauhan, associated with the Ministry of Tourism confirmed the spike in bookings in the last two to three days. However, the issue is that citizens, being unaware of the destination first enquire about the place, activities and connectivity and then take the call on booking flights or trains, he added.
“It will be one of the best tourist places for us in the coming seasons,” said Rajnish Kaistha, Senior Vice-President of the Indian Association of Tour Operators. After the controversial remarks of Maldivian Ministers on Lakshadweep, a significant spike was also noticed in Google searches. MyGov, the citizen engagement platform launched by the Indian Government to promote the active participation of Indian citizens in governance and development, posted on social media, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep caused a significant surge online. This worldwide search interest is currently at its highest in the last 20 years, indicating a renewed fascination with its natural beauty and cultural richness.”
Reacting to controversial remarks, several tour operators recently demanded a boycott of Maldives as well. On Monday, the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) urged, in a communiqué, the members of the Tourism and Trade Associations to “stop promoting Maldives given the anti-Indian feelings expressed by the Ministers of Maldives”.
Meanwhile, the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) issued a statement and strongly condemned the derogatory remarks made by Maldivian Ministers on social media platforms against India.
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