While urging Indians to avoid spending on foreign holidays and destination weddings abroad, Narendra Modi on Monday asked Indians living overseas to encourage at least five foreign families to visit India and tourist destinations such as the Statue of Unity in Gujarat.
Addressing a gathering at Vadodara in Gujarat, Modi said members of the Indian diaspora should actively promote India as a travel destination among their friends and associates overseas and encourage at least one visit to the country. “There are a lot of us living overseas. It is your responsibility to bring at least five foreign families to visit India. Encourage families who you are connected with to visit the Statue of Unity. Motivate them for at least one trip,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister’s remarks came as part of a broader appeal to citizens to support the country through small individual efforts, including encouraging domestic tourism and reducing discretionary spending abroad, while also urging people to cut down on non-essential imports such as gold, avoid overseas destination weddings, and use fuel and edible oil judiciously. The appeal comes in the backdrop of the ongoing West Asia tensions involving the US and Iran, which have disrupted global crude flows and led to higher import costs for energy and other commodities.
Calling these “small steps”, the Prime Minister said collective efforts by citizens could become a major strength for the country. “These are small steps that I have told you. It is not a difficult thing. These small attempts... will help the country move forward and become the biggest strength,” he said. “If Covid pandemic was the biggest danger of this century then the situation created due to the war in West Asia is one of the dangers of this decade. When we have together handled Covid, then we will overcome this crisis too,” Modi added.
PM Modi said the Statue of Unity had emerged as a major tourist attraction in recent years and urged people to help increase visitor footfalls at the site. “In the recent years, the Statue of Unity has emerged as a centre of tourist attraction. Can we decide to bring maximum people to the Statue of Unity,” he said. He also pitched Ekta Nagar as a potential destination wedding hub, saying tourism and hospitality infrastructure had expanded significantly around the world’s tallest statue. “Ekta Nagar can be a good option for destination weddings,” Modi said, adding that several facilities had been developed in the area.
On the occasion, it was also announced that the Zydus Group will be contributing ₹500 crore in setting up a university in Ahmedabad in the next three years. The chairman of Zydus, Pankaj Patel was also present on the occasion.
Published on May 11, 2026