EaseMyTrip resumes Maldives bookings as diplomatic relations improve, Muizzu to visit India

EaseMyTrip resumes Maldives bookings as bilateral ties improve between both the governments and with President Muizzu scheduled to visit India next week

EaseMyTrip has resumed bookings to the Maldives on October 04, 2024 after it was halted since January this year due to the India-Maldives diplomatic row, Moneycontrol reported.

EaseMyTrip was the first major tour operator to exclude the Maldives from its portal by disabling users from selecting any packages.

The online travel aggregator said the move comes after careful consideration, looking at the now improved bilateral ties between both the governments and also following a constructive discussion with the Ministry of Tourism of Maldives, according to the report.

This also comes long after a leading Maldives' travel body wrote to EaseMyTrip CEO Nishant Pitti, requesting him to reverse the decision to cancel flight bookings to Maldives through the platform. This was on January 9.

"The bonds connecting our nations transcend politics. We consider our Indian counterparts not just as business associates but as cherished brothers and sisters," the report quoted the Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) as saying.

The report also quoted Abdulla Ghiyas, the president of MATATO as stating that the Indian market is an "indispensable force" in the success of the Maldivian tourism sector as it provides vital support to guest houses and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that depend on incoming Indian visitors.

The country received 2 lakh Indian visitors out of the total 17.57 lakh tourists who came there last year.

This also comes at a time when Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu is scheduled to visit India from October 7 to 10, in a first state visit here.