India promoting Lakshadweep beaches for tourism. How attacks on PM Modi are backfiring on Maldives

livemint.com:

topped the Google trends in India for two days. This sparked speculations that Indians might be looking at the country's smallest Union Territory as their next tourist destination. But, in an unexpected fallout, PM Modi promoting Lakshadweep as a beach destination seems to have triggered the people of Maldives — which is already a popular holiday hotspot for many Indians.

ALSO READ:Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu's China visit deepens diplomatic shift as India, Maldives ties strain Meanwhile, the people of Maldives took to social media on Sunday, promoting "#VisitMaldives'. This was days after PM Modi visited Lakshadweep and urged citizens to "embrace the adventurer in them" by touring the Union territory. Here's a detailed look at how the Indian government is planning to boost tourism within India and why it didn't go down well with the Maldives specifically. In the first week of January, PM Modi visited Lakshadweep and shared a couple of pictures, showing the "stunning beauty of its islands".

From "early morning walks" to trying snorkelling, the Indian prime minister said his visit to the islands was "an enriching journey of learning and growing". Before this, Diu, an island located near the coast of Kathiyawad region at Veraval port, hosted the Beach Game Festival for the first time. The government organised Diu Beach Games 2024 from January 4 to 11.