New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking from Kyrgyzstan, urged Indians to not travel abroad “for leisure” or hold weddings at foreign destinations, in his statement on India’s most recent quarterly economic report, which indicated a 7.8 percent growth in gross domestic product (GDP).
“We must embrace the mantra of ‘Swadeshi’ and ‘Vocal for Local’. We should avoid travelling abroad for leisure or hosting destination weddings. We should live by the mantra ‘Wed in India’. We should also not buy gold unless it is necessary,” said Modi in his video message shared Tuesday on Instagram.
The Prime Minister added: “The more emphasis on ‘Swadeshi’ and self-reliance, makes me more confident that by the time we mark 100 years of Independence, we will hand over a ‘Viksit Bharat’ to our youth.”
The message assumes significance as data published Monday by the Ministry of Finance indicated that the Indian economy grew by 7.8 percent in the first quarter of the current fiscal (April-June). Amidst the ongoing crisis in West Asia and the global oil shock, the growth figures beat expectations.
Modi commended the efforts of all Indians to ensure the economy continues to grow despite global instability. Nevertheless, in the same breath, the Prime Minister urged Indians to embrace self-reliance by curbing foreign travel, destination weddings and gold purchases.
The Prime Minister had first made the call to curb foreign travel a few months ago at the height of the conflict in West Asia. The conflict has led to a spike in global fuel prices, impacting India negatively as it relies heavily on imports for energy sources.
Modi, who is currently in the Kyrgyz Republic for the SCO Summit, earlier this year embarked on bilateral visits to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy in May. The next month, the Prime Minister travelled to France for the G7 leaders’ summit and then Slovakia for a bilateral visit.
At the end of June, the Indian Prime Minister travelled to Seychelles to attend the island nation’s independence day celebrations, before travelling to Australia and New Zealand in July. The Prime Minister completed a four-day visit to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan between 29 August and 1 September.
The tourism industry, both outbound and inbound, remains an important source of employment for the Indian economy. Around 84.6 million jobs were supported by the tourism industry in 2023-2024, according to data published by the Government of India.
The Prime Minister has consistently called for Indians to curb their desire to travel abroad, as outbound travel has seen significant growth in recent years. Around 3.27 crore Indians travelled abroad in 2025, according to media reports. This is the highest recorded number of Indians travelling abroad, according to statistics published by the Ministry of Tourism.
Modi’s appeal to Indians to buy gold only if necessary, comes as the surge in price of the precious metal has led to rising import costs. In the previous year, while the amount of gold import has grown marginally, the value has increased substantially, according to data published by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: India can add $700 bn to $1.4 trn to GDP with higher female workforce participation, says CSEP study