Do Indians listen to PM Narendra Modi? Lakshadweep tourism numbers tell a story
RTI data accessed by India Today shows that tourist arrivals in Lakshadweep surged from just 3,875 in 2020 to a record 68,328 in 2024. The sharpest jump came after PM Modi's January 2024 visit to the islands.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi urges Indians to avoid unnecessary foreign travel, conserve fuel and cut discretionary spending amid the Iran war-driven economic uncertainty, the Lakshadweep tourism story offers a recent example of how strongly people can respond to his public appeals and messaging.
RTI data accessed by India Today shows that tourist arrivals in Lakshadweep surged from just 3,875 in 2020 to a record 68,328 in 2024.
The sharpest jump came after PM Modi’s January 2024 visit to the islands, when he posted pictures and videos highlighting Lakshadweep’s beaches and tourism potential.
Interestingly, Modi's visit was followed by a diplomatic controversy after some Maldivian ministers made derogatory comments against him online.
The remarks triggered outrage in India, calls to boycott the Maldives and a wider campaign encouraging Indians to choose Lakshadweep instead of foreign island destinations.
The numbers suggest many people may actually have paid heed to that message.
Lakshadweep tourist arrivals rose from 46,551 in 2023 to 68,328 in 2024, a jump of nearly 47 per cent within a year.
At the same time, Indian tourist arrivals to the Maldives witnessed a sharp decline.
According to Maldives Tourism Ministry statistics,
Indian arrivals to the Maldives fell from 2,09,193 in 2023 to 1,30,805 in 2024, a drop of 37.5 per cent.
India, once among the Maldives’ top tourism markets, slipped to sixth position in terms of total share of visitors.
The Lakshadweep experience suggests that when PM Modi combines political messaging with a nationalistic economic appeal, it can translate into measurable behavioural shifts among sections of the public.
Interestingly, while the RTI response provides detailed Lakshadweep tourist figures till 2024, the government has not shared tourism numbers for 2025 despite the application being filed in 2026.
Given the extraordinary rise in Lakshadweep footfall following Modi’s visit, the absence of the latest data is particularly notable.
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| Indian Sickular politicians and ecosystem will be displeased !! |
The contrasting trend has become one of the clearest examples in recent years of Modi’s public messaging influencing consumer behaviour and travel choices.
Celebrities, influencers and travel platforms amplified the campaign after Modi’s Lakshadweep posts. Lakshadweep, which had long remained relatively underdeveloped despite its similarities with the Maldives, suddenly became a national tourism symbol.
The 2024 episode now gains fresh relevance after PM Modi called upon citizens to change consumption patterns amid global uncertainty caused by the Iran conflict.
Over the past week, the Prime Minister has urged Indians to avoid unnecessary overseas travel, reduce fuel use, use public transport and postpone gold purchases in order to conserve foreign exchange reserves.
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