Google searches worldwide for Lakshadweep are at their highest in the last 20 years, that too by a huge margin reflecting a hockey stick graph.
Lakshadweep has shot into fame a few days after PM Modi visited the islands, even as the controversy over Maldivian minister’s comment on India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to rage on.
Google searches worldwide for Lakshadweep are at their highest in the last 20 years, that too by a huge margin reflecting a hockey stick graph.
This huge spark in interest for Lakshadweep could be linked to the outcome of PM Modi’s overnight stay, followed by beach visits and some adventure activities he partook in the form of snorkelling.
A massive row that is triggered after Maldives deputy minister, along with other cabinet members and government officials, made disparaging and unsavoury references to PM Modi’s Lakshadweep visit, also is likely to have raised people’s interest in the archipelago.
Indians, including cricketers and film celebrities, have since come out in open support in promoting local beach destinations and other tourist spots. They also voiced support for PM Modi’s call for promoting beach tourism in Lakshadweep.
Lakshadweep Administrator Praful Patel, meanwhile, said the island’s fortune changed after the PM’s trip. He said the administration is not worried about the inflow of tourists as Lakshadweep has sufficient infrastructure to handle them. “We are anticipating a huge surge in tourists in Lakshadweep. We will be benefitted because of this PM’s trip and not because of the anger of Maldives,” Patel told a news channel.
Israel said on Monday that a team had visited Lakshadweep last year and the country is ready to commence working on a desalination programme in the islands.
The Israel Embassy said in a tweet that a team from the country was in Lakshadweep last year at the request of the Indian government to initiate a desalination programme.
The embassy also shared pictures of the Lakshadweep Islands.
“We were in #Lakshadweep last year upon the federal government’s request to initiate the desalination program. Israel is ready to commence working on this project tomorrow,” Israel in India said in a post on ‘X’.
Amid ‘Boycott Maldives campaign’ on social media that is gathering space, online travel portal Co-founder of EaseMyTrip, Prashant Pitti said, “…Our company is entirely homegrown and made in India. Amid the row over Maldives MP’s post on PM Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep, we have decided that we will not accept any bookings for Maldives.”
“Around 3 lakh Indians go to Maldives every year, and they won’t be able to travel facilities (to Maldives on Make My Trip). PM Modi has shown us that India has destinations which are better than Maldives…” Pitti said.
“We want Ayodhya and Lakshadweep to turn out as international destinations…,” he added.
Another online travel company Make My Trip on Monday said that it has observed a whopping 3,400 per cent increase in on-platform searches for beach destination Lakshadweep ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the archipelago.
This interest by potential tourists for local Indian beaches has had prompted the launch of a ‘Beaches of India’ campaign on the platform, with offers and discounts to encourage Indian travellers to explore the country’s stunning beaches.
“With over 450 beaches in India, India is any beach lover’s paradise.
Our ‘Beaches of India’ campaign is an ode to our love for our country’s stunning coastlines. Keep watching this space to catch great discounts for your favourite beach destinations,” Make My Trip wrote on its Instagram timeline.
Madhav Oza, Director of Blue Star Air Travel Services, is also of the view that the flow of Indian tourists to Maldives will be impacted because of the ongoing row.
