Following the row over Lakshadweep and Maldives that was tipped off after Prime Minister Modi shared pictures of his break at the islands, the Tata Group has announced plans to build two Taj-branded resorts in the islands by 2026. The CEO and MD of Indian Hotels Company Ltd. (IHCL), which is tasked with the job of constructing the two Taj resorts, Puneet Chhatwal, expressed high optimism and potential about Lakshadweep, stressing its pristine, natural beauty.
Two locations, Suheli and Kadmat, have been shortlisted for the construction of the luxe resorts. These destinations are sought-after locations among tourists in the archipelago. Elaborating on the resort plan, IHCL announced that the Suheli resort will have 110 rooms, including 60 beachfront villas and 50 water villas. The Kadmat resort will have 110 rooms, comprising 35 water villas and 75 beach villas. The hotel chain reiterated how Lakshadweep offers scenic beauty, exotic beaches, coral reefs, and lagoons, making it an ideal destination for water sports enthusiasts.
Ever since Prime Minister Modi visited the archipelago and uploaded pictures of his time there on social media, Lakshadweep has gained a newfound popularity. After an inappropriate comment by a certain Maldivian minister, the row around tourism snowballed into a spat. Confusion ensued, with locals of Maldives taking a harsh stance towards the inbound tourism from India. On the other hand, bolstering Modi's move to promote local destinations, celebrities took to platform X to highlight the many beach locations within India.
Extending such support for the Indian destination, native travellers have promised to explore uncharted Indian territories such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in addition to the Lakshadweep archipelago. Seeing this turn of events, investors have been driving more and more attention towards the islands. The bookings for the islands have tripled overnight, with platforms like MakeMyTrip reporting a 3,400 per cent rise in tourist searches of the islands. Amid these events, Israel has pitched to commence working on the desalination programme on the islands.