Search for ‘Lakshadweep’ in Google trends at 20-year high; celebrities power PM's island push

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, January 8

Amid an escalating diplomatic row following disparaging remarks against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi by some Maldivian ministers, local celebrities have begun powering Modi’s push for exploration of Lakshadweep as a beach tourism destination over the Maldives.

Cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar, actors Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, John Abraham and Shradha Kapur among others have taken to X to urge Indians to choose Lakshadweep for a holiday destination over the Maldives.

All this as Lakshadweep as a search word touched a 20-year high in Google search trends on Monday.

Google analytics revealed that the worldwide search interest for Lakshadweep was at its highest in the last 20 years.

Sparked by PM Modi’s visit to the island and his leisurely posts about the stay at Lakshadweep, the search continues to rise, in signals which the Maldives may not find encouraging.

John Abraham posted pictures of Lakshadweep beaches and wrote on X, “With the amazing Indian hospitality, the idea of “Atithi Devo Bhava” and a vast marine life to explore. Lakshadweep is the place to go.”

Salman Khan, too, backed Lakshadweep as a tourism destination writing on X, “It is so cool to see our Hon PM Narendrabhai Modi at the beautiful clean n stunning beaches of Lakshadweep, and the best part is that yeh hamare India mein hain.”

Ministers, meanwhile, floated a hashtag DekhoApnaDesh and ExploreIndianIslands to make a case for Lakshadweep.

Tendulkar, using the hashtag Explore Indian islands posted his pictures of holidaying in Sindhudurg and said, “250 days since we rang in my 50th birthday in Sindhudurg! The coastal town offered everything we wanted, and more. Gorgeous locations combined with wonderful hospitality left us with a treasure trove of memories. India is blessed with beautiful coastlines and pristine islands. With our “Atithi Devo Bhava” philosophy, we have so much to explore, so many memories waiting to be created.”