In Lakshadweep, comprising a total of 36 islands, including ten inhabited ones, the administration has recently proposed additional tourism projects.
Government-led tourism activities, managed by SPORTS (Society for Promotion of Nature Tourism and Sports), include the iconic Paradise Island huts. A new proposal under the Smart City initiative aims to introduce a 90-room hotel.
In the private sector, India’s first water villa project, initiated by an Indian group, stands out as a major endeavor. The archipelago gained attention for its natural beauty, particularly after Prime Minister Modi’s recent visit.
On January 2, PM Modi visited the Union Territory of Lakshadweep and shared several pictures, including an ‘exhilarating experience’ of him trying his hand at snorkelling.
Several Indian celebrities have strongly criticized derogatory remarks by Maldivian leaders against India and expressed support for promoting Indian beach tourism . This comes amid the row over derogatory and ‘anti-India’ remarks made by Maldives minister, leaders and other public figures after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the union territory of Lakshadweep.
In a series of posts on X, PM Modi shared pictures of the white beaches, the pristine blue skies and the ocean and tagged them with a message that read, “For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshadweep has to be on your list.”Former Member of Parliament from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bishnu Pada Ray, condemned the unjust criticism from Maldivian ministers.
“Recently, Prime Minister Modi visited Lakshadweep, an island located far from the Maldives. During Congress’s era, despite being represented by the Prime Minister and Speaker, the region saw limited development. PM Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep highlighted the potential for tourism development. What the ministers of our neighbouring country, the Maldives, said about PM Modi is not correct. This led to the suspension of three Maldivian ministers by the President. By uttering these words, plenty of damage has been done to your country’s tourism. Consequently, negative opinions about Modi are impacting tourism. People are cancelling their tickets. Today, people across India, including film stars, cricket players, and other patriotic individuals, are not expressing positive opinions about you in the media. I also oppose these actions. In the future, with Modi’s efforts, Lakshadweep is going to become a tourist destination surpassing even the Maldives” he said.
This surge in tourism development signals an exciting phase for Lakshadweep’s travel landscape.
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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said the ODOP initiative has the potential to drive the growth of the tourism sector which in turn will push employment generation. The ODOP (one district one product) initiative is aimed at selecting, branding, and promoting one product from each district of the country.
It is also aimed at creating sustainable employment at the district level while promoting holistic socio-economic development.
The initiative has a “strong impact on tourism…I expect the ODOP to actually translate into stronger tourism in the years to come and tourism is a powerful driver of employment…ODOP, can, is and should become a more powerful driver of tourism,” he said.
The minister said this while felicitating winners of the national ‘One District One Product’ awards during the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Utsav celebration here.
Jaishankar added that while making in India is “very” crucial, branding and promotion of products are important as it helps in increasing demand.
“ODOP has been a great promoter of what has been made across the country, he said adding Geographical Indicators (GI) today are one of the big areas of competition.
In 2023, more than 5 lakh tourists visited Bhaderwah, showcasing the progress made by the region in the tourism sector. The tourism officials expressed keen interest in bolstering the tourism sector to generate livelihood opportunities, particularly in Bhaderwah, while revealing the ongoing efforts by private stakeholders to establish world-class hotels and 5-star facilities in the district.
GI is actually a “very powerful” part of branding and that ODOP will definitely provide, he said. The products which have been identified under the programme include coffee from Araku; Shopian apples and honey from Bathinda.
On exports, the minister said that both foreign affairs and commerce ministries are working together along with Indian missions to boost the country’s outbound shipments.
The government mainly gifts ODOP products to foreign delegates.
During India’s G20 Presidency, the ODOP artisans, sellers and weavers got a lot of visibility on the Global stage.
“Foreign policy, foreign economic policy and foreign commerce policy” come together, he said adding ODOP represents the diversity of India in a unique and tangible way.
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