Mumbai: Indian celebrities, who have loved and promoted Maldives as their favourite tourist destination, took to social media on Sunday, expressing their eagerness to explore the vast coastline of India and holiday at the country’s own pristine beaches.

Celebrities like John Abraham, Shraddha Kapoor and Sachin Tendulkar shared pictures of Lakshadweep on X, highlighting the beauty and the holidaying prospects the archipelago holds for the tourists.

Superstar Salman Khan hailed the PM’s visit to Lakshadweep as “cool” and emphasised that India has no dearth of pretty beaches and beautiful destinations.

“It is so cool to see our Hon PM Narendrabhai Modi at the beautiful clean n stunning beaches of Lakshadweep, and the best part is that yeh hamare India mein hain,” Salman Khan posted on X.

This comes in the wake of Maldivian Minister Mariyam Shiuna’s disparaging comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "clown" and "puppet" in posts on X, which have since been deleted.

These tweets were removed following criticism and backlash on the micro-blogging site.

Other Maldivian officials, including another minister named Zahid Rameez, also mocked Prime Minister Modi's visit to Lakshadweep after the photos garnered significant attention on social media as many drew comparisons between Modi's visit and the Maldives.

Film director Madhur Bhandarkar said, he was adding Lakshadweep, “a hidden gem,” to the top of his travel list. “Discovering the enchanting allure of #Lakshadweep through Prime Minister @narendramodi 's recent visit has left me utterly spellbound! Adding this hidden gem to the top of my travel wishlist. 👌🙌 #Lakshadweep.”

Actor Shraddha Kapoor posted a breathtaking image of Lakshadweep on her X handle. The Rock Aur Rani actor wrote: “Lakshadweep has such pristine beaches and coastlines, thriving local culture, I’m on the verge of booking an impulse chhutti.”

Cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar recollected the moments of his 50th birthday celebration at Sindhudurg, a coastal city in Maharashtra, endowed with great natural beauty with its long beautiful seashore, picturesque mountains and lush green forests.

“India is blessed with beautiful coastlines and pristine islands. With our ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ philosophy, we have so much to explore, so many memories waiting to be created,” wrote Tendulkar.

Actor John Abraham, who was recently seen in the blockbuster movie ‘Jawan’ with Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, wrote on his X handle, "With the amazing Indian hospitality, the idea of 'Atithi Devo Bhava' and a vast marine life to explore. Lakshwadeep is the place to go."

Meanwhile, actor Akshay Kumar expressed dismay over the racist and disparaging comments by prominent public figures of Maldives against Indians.

Came across comments from prominent public figures from Maldives passing hateful and racist comments on Indians. Surprised that they are doing this to a country that sends them the maximum number of tourists. We are good to our neighbors but why should we tolerate such unprovoked hate? I've visited the Maldives many times and always praised it, but dignity first. Let us decide to #ExploreIndianIslands and support our own tourism,” wrote Akshay.