Lakshadweep 2.0: Now, Israel promotes Indian archipelagos after Maldives bars Israeli citizens

NEW DELHI: Lakshadweep is back with a bang. A day after Maldives barred the entry of Israeli passport holders, the Israel embassy in India has promoted “some beautiful and amazing Indian beaches where Israeli tourists are warmly welcomed and treated with utmost hospitality.” These include Lakshadweep — which was in the news earlier this year when Indian tourists were wondering why they should go to Maldives when their own country has its own beautiful islands.The other recommendations by the embassy are: Goa, Andaman Nicobar and Kerala.
“Since the Maldives is no longer welcoming Israelis, here are some beautiful and amazing Indian beaches where Israeli tourists are warmly welcomed and treated with utmost hospitality. Check out these recommendations from (the embassy) based on the places visited by our diplomats,” Israel’s embassy in India Tweeted Monday.Maldives government had on Sunday announced a cabinet decision to change laws to prevent Israeli passport holders from entering the country over the ongoing war in Gaza. “For Israeli citizens already in the country, it is recommended to consider leaving, because if they find themselves in distress for any reason, it will be difficult for us to assist,” Maldives’ foreign ministry had said in a statement.
As far as tourism is concerned, Maldives has been in the news for the wrong reasons since the start of this year. A visit by Prime Minister Modi to idyllic Lakshadweep led to anti-India tweets by some of Maldives’ politicians. After that, Maldives fell off the bucket list for Indian travellers. An Indian online travel agency, EaseMyTrip, had stopped bookings for Maldives.
“EaseMyTrip has halted Maldives bookings from January 8 until today. Some bookings did occur between May 16-26, but we took immediate action and got them removed,” the portal’s founder-CEO Nishant Pitti said on X (erstwhile Twitter) June 1.