EaseMyTrip CEO and co-founder, Nishant Pitti has announced a pause on flight reservations for the Maldives amid the ongoing boycott campaign. This decision of the organisation has come in response to the offensive comments that were earlier made by Maldivian ministers towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India.
Also read: Why Indian Tourists Prefer Maldives Over Lakshadweep? Explained
Furthermore, the travel agency introduced special discount codes for flight bookings for Lakshadweep. Sharing the update on X (formerly Twitter), EaseMyTrip CEO Nishant Pitti, said, “Now use discount codes NATIONFIRST or BHARATFIRST at EaseMyTrip to avail better discounts.”
“Water & beaches of Lakshadweep are as good as Maldives/Seychelles We at @EasyMyTrip will come up with crazy special-offers to promote this pristine destination that our PM @narendramodi has recently visited!,” Pitti said in another post.
Now use discount codes NATIONFIRST or BHARATFIRST @EaseMyTrip to avail better discounts. pic.twitter.com/2F55MSBhsq
— Nishant Pitti (@nishantpitti) January 10, 2024
EaseMyTrip also launched the #ChaloLakshadweep visit Lakshadweep campaign. Moreover, a number of Indian tourists reportedly postponed their planned trips to the island nation, according to several sources. Earlier, Nishant Pitti said in a post on X, “In solidarity with our nation @EaseMyTrip has suspended all Maldives flight bookings.”
Meanwhile, a Maldivian travel organisation has requested the CEO of EaseMyTrip to reevaluate flight reservation cancellations. Strong ties to India and the importance of the Indian market to Maldivian tourism were mentioned.
It is to be noted that Maldives is said to be a popular travel destination for Indians, with the country accounting for the largest percentage of visitors to the Maldives up until December 2023.
India topped other countries in terms of tourist arrivals with a total of 209,198 tourists, closely followed by China with 187,118 visitors and Russia with 209,146 visitors.
The controversy arose when Mahzoom Majid, Malsha Shareef, and Mariyam Shiuna were suspended for remarks they made criticising Prime Minister Modi, which sparked strong public outrage. Shiuna made disparaging remarks against Prime Minister Modi on the social media site X.