Develop Lakshadweep but only for eco-friendly tourism

livemint.com:

Ill-advised comments by Maldivian ministers against India sparked a diplomatic row, led to their ejection from authority in Maldives and set off social media calls here to develop Lakshadweep, a Union territory off the coast of Kerala, as an alternative tourist destination. While they hold parallel appeal as holiday isles with white-sand beaches amid dreamscape waters, replicating Maldives’ model of high-end resort exclusivity may not be possible at that scale, given Lakshadweep’s smaller size, even if new infrastructure can support an enlarged influx of tourists.

Still, a push for a tourism leap is underway that appears to have stoked much anticipation among Indian holidayers, especially Instagram influencers of holiday picks. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit there, a clutch of developmental projects were announced.

A new airport that can serve military purposes and handle civilian flights is being planned, even as a buzz has arisen over corporate interest in setting up five-star resorts on these islands. Although some of the enthusiasm visible on social media to visit Lakshadweep may be premature at this stage, its tourism-capacity expansion seems all but inevitable after Modi’s call for Indians to include it in their must-visit list.

Demand that heavily outstrips supply usually finds expression in inflated prices. Since Lakshadweep is an archipelago of 36 isles—only 10 of which are inhabited—with an area of just 32-sq-km, a key constraint even if we invest in land reclamation, market logic suggests it can serve only travellers at the top of our socio-economic pyramid.

At first glance, its emergence as an exclusive spot may seem a tad unfair. But then, we cannot afford to go cheap anyway if we expect