Many projects have been announced in the Union Budget 2024, which will bring excellence in the field of tourism. The Finance Minister said that the announcements to develop tourism in Lakshadweep and improve spiritual tourism in Bharat will bring benefits to the country. It is noteworthy that this important announcement comes at a time when diplomatic relations between Bharat and Maldives are shaking. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lakshadweep, the diplomatic relations between the two countries were seen swaying.
In the budget, the Union Minister said that Lakshadweep’s tourism sector will be promoted through infrastructure development and projects for domestic tourism and port connectivity will be accepted in Lakshadweep. But political analysts say that, this is Bharat’s indirect reply to Maldives which is reflected in the budget.
Maldives has been one of the favorite tourist destinations for tourists in Bharat. But after the Prime Minister’s visit to Lakshadweep, Maldivian ministers had come out insulting our country and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They hurled insults, saying that Modi is a clown, a puppet in the hands of Israel, and that places in India are not clean. They also said that PM Modi invited tourists to Lakshadweep to destroy the tourism sector of Maldives.
With this, the number of tourists coming from Bharat to Maldives has decreased significantly. As of January 28, 2024, only 13,989 tourists from Bharat have arrived in Maldives. It accounts for only eight percent of the country’s tourism market; earlier it was 23.4 percent. Maldives is a country that relies on tourism to boost its economy. Most of the visitors to Maldives were from Bharat. In 2023, 2,09,198 people visited Maldives from Bharat alone.
Amid the diplomatic spat between the two countries, several travel agencies in Bharat announced their cancellations of flight bookings to Maldives in solidarity with Bharat. The plans of many to visit the Maldives were canceled and screenshots of canceled tickets were circulated on social media. It is also noteworthy that this budget announcement regarding Lakshadweep tourism comes amid the diplomatic dispute with the Maldives.
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