Searches for India’s best beaches have soared recently, especially due to the ongoing debate between Lakshadweep and the Maldives. Travel sites have noticed a significant increase in interest in Indian beach destinations.
Make My Trip, an online travel agency, reports a dramatic rise in searches for places like Daman (over 350% increase) and the Andaman Islands (more than 120% increase). This spike in interest comes in the wake of the Lakshadweep-Maldives controversy.
The top beach destinations in India, according to the travel portal, include Goa, Digha in West Bengal, Lakshadweep, Pondicherry, Tarkarli and Alibaug in Maharashtra, Kovalam and Varkala in Kerala, Gokarna in Karnataka, Diu, and Havelock. Other areas like Kochi, Puri, Visakhapatnam, and beaches in Tamil Nadu and Kerala are also seeing a rise in interest.
The surge in searches for Indian beaches followed the Lakshadweep-Maldives row, which began after some Maldivian ministers made critical comments about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Lakshadweep. Despite Modi promoting Lakshadweep as a tourist spot and not mentioning the Maldives, the remarks led to strained relations between India and the Maldives.
As a result, people are now increasingly looking into Indian beach destinations, possibly choosing them over trips to the Maldives.